The Lion King: Avatar Style!
by eframTrabbit
Summary: Zuko is a young Fire Nation prince, being guided by his father Iroh on the path to becoming Fire Lord. But his scheming Uncle Ozai wants the throne for himself. Will Zuko embrace his royal destiny or will evil prevail? Based on the movie/musical. Zutara
1. The Circle of Life

Hello all, Efram here :) and a Happy Halloween to all of you. To celebrate my most favorite holiday of the year, I bring you my newest creation, The Lion King: Avatar Style! I had seen The Lion King on Broadway a month ago for the third time and couldn't pass up the opportunity/challenge of avatarizing it :P Hopefully it comes out good but only time (and your reviews) will tell. So enjoy and remember to R&R!

Chapter 1: The Circle of Life

It was a warm summer morning in the great land of the Fire Nation and the birds were chirping loudly as they flew across the large vast plains and over the small villages. Suddenly the large orange sun rose slowly over the eastern horizon, signifying both the first day of summer and the start of new life.

Loud ceremonial horns blared and beacons of fire were lit throughout the whole Fire Nation. People everywhere were now waking up and preparing their outfits for the day. But instead of getting ready to do their daily chores or jobs, they dressed in their finest clothes and prepared their steeds for a journey over to the famous Imperial Pride Palace. For news had spread that the Fire Lady had given birth to a child and a large ceremony was being held to honor the new heir to the throne. From the steps of the palace, a large choir had gathered to start the days festivities with a song:

_From the day we arrive on the planet  
And, blinking, step into the sun  
There's more to see than can ever be seen  
More to do than can ever be done_

As the choir continued to sing, people from all over the Fire Nation were arriving at the Imperial Pride city. Both rich or poor made an effort to arrive in style, arriving in wagons, by boat, by gliders and on animals. Even citizens from the Earth Kingdom, Water Tribes and Air Nomads traveled great distances over land, air and sea to attend the ceremony.

_There's far too much to take in here  
More to find than can ever be found  
But the sun rolling high  
Through the sapphire sky  
Keeps great and small on the endless round_

By mid morning, everyone had gathered in the enormous courtyard of the Pride Palace and were adverting their attention toward the large balcony, eagerly waiting to see the royal family as well as the new heir.

Soon Fire Lord Iroh emerged onto the balcony and waved to crowd below, who erupted into cheers and praised Iroh's name to the spirits. Looking up, Iroh watched as messenger hawks and air benders filled the sky with rice and confetti. However, the bird that caught his eye a rather large messenger hawk with a blue bandana tied around its neck. It flew toward the palace at great speed and landed on the banister before the Fire Lord. The hawk squawked and then bowed before Iroh who respectively bowed back. It then gestured toward the crowd where an enormous EelHound had just entered the courtyard, carrying two people on its back.

_It's the Circle of Life  
And it moves us all  
Through despair and hope  
Through faith and love_

Iroh smiled as the EelHound reached the entrance of the palace and let off its two passengers. One was Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water tribe, who jumped off and began stretching his arms and legs. He was then followed by a young boy, who jumped shakily off the EelHound and into his father's arms.

The Fire Lords personal body guards, the Kyoshi Warriors, arrived and quickly escorted the Chief and his son up to the throne room balcony.

"Iroh! Long time no see!" Hakoda said cheerfully as he approached the Fire Lord. "Must've been what? A whole two weeks?"

Iroh laughed out loud. "Hakoda my old friend, you never ceased to amuse me with your humor." The two then bowed to each other before embracing like old friends. Iroh then noticed the young boy who stood shyly behind his father.

"And who is this charming young man you have brought with you?" Iroh asked looking at the young boy beside him. "Can't be Sokka can it?"

"The very same." Hakoda said proudly looking at his son. "Sokka, you remember Fire lord Iroh right? He came to visit us last winter."

Sokka looked at Iroh curiously and then wrinkled his nose. "You're old."

Iroh laughed heartily. "It's alright. I don't expect a two year old boy to have the best memory. But it is nice to see you again lad" he said patting Sokka on the head. "So where is your lovely wife Hakoda? I thought she'd be here with you."

"She would have of course, but since Kya's so close to having the baby we decided it was best that she stay home. She does send her love and congratulates both you and Ursa on becoming parents. Speaking of which, where is the little bundle of joy?" Hakoda said looking around.

"He's inside with Ursa. We're just waiting for one more person to show up before starting the ceremony."

"Who's that?" Hakoda asked.

_Till we find our place  
On the path unwinding  
In the Circle  
The Circle of Life_

Just then a hush fell over the crowd. Iroh and Hakoda turned around and looked down into the crowd which had begun parting in two.

Walking slowly toward the palace was King Bumi, ruler of the Earth Kingdom city Omashu and the oldest living Earthbending master in the world. Everyone in the crowd recognized the old king and bowed respectively as he walked forward.

Bumi nodded to each of them and soon came upon the long set of stairs leading into the palace. The Kyoshi Warriors rushed forward to escort him but the old king held up a hand.

"No need ladies. I can manage." Bumi said backing up. He then raised a fist and stomped his foot to the ground, bending a pillar of rock up in front of him. He jumped onto the pillar which carried him up passed the stairs and up the side of the palace toward the balcony. He then stepped casually onto the balcony and stood tall before the Fire Lord.

"Fire Lord Iroh." Bumi said bowing formally.

"King Bumi." Iroh said also bowing formally.

The two men stared at each other for a moment. Then Bumi let out a loud snorting laugh. "Well don't just stand there! Come give your old friend a hug!"

Iroh laugh heartily and embraced his old Earthbender friend. "It's great to see you Bumi. It's been too long."

"That it has." Bumi nodded. "But I had a feeling you and your queen would have a child this summer. Which is why I packed my vacation suitcase!" he said holding up a large bag. "Gives me a chance to get away. After all, the weather in the Fire Nation is perfect this time of year." Bumi said letting out another snorty laugh.

"You are free to stay as long as you wish old friend." Iroh said.

"Bumi you old dog!" Hakoda greeted happily. "How ya been?"

"Ah I see we have Chief Hakoda here with us as well." Bumi said giving the Chief a friendly handshake. "I've been very well. How goes things in the icy southern region?"

"Oh they're great! The ice is coming in extra frosty this year." Hakoda joked as the men shared a laugh together.

"Good one." Bumi snorted.

"By the way, have you met my son Sokka?" Hakoda gestured behind him.

Bumi looked down toward Sokka who retreated shyly behind his father. "Ahh yes, the little chief. Don't cower there sonny, a leader shows confidence when meeting new people."

Still, Sokka hide fearfully behind his father who patted his head. "Oh he's still young. Give him some time. I predict one day he'll be as confident and as talkative as his old man."

"In that case, I think he has the right idea staying quiet."

The three men then turned to see Queen Ursa walk out onto the balcony holding a small bundle in her arms. "Am I interrupting something gentlemen?"

"Of course not my beautiful queen." Iroh said walking up to Ursa and kissing her sweetly.

"Having a nice chat I see?" Ursa said looking over to Hakoda and Bumi who waved back.

"Indeed I am." Iroh said happily.

"I hope you didn't forget why they and all these other people are here." Ursa said gesturing to the large crowd.

Iroh chuckled. "Of course not. But it is nice to catch up with old friends."

"Ursa!" Hakoda said walking over and giving Ursa a kiss on the cheek. "Just look at you! You're as radiant as ever!"

"And you're as charming as ever." Ursa said with a smile. "It's wonderful to see you again Hakoda. You too Bumi."

"A pleasure as always." Bumi said bowing to the queen.

Hakoda then looked down at the bundle in her arms. "Is that who I think it is?"

Ursa nodded and pulled back the blanket slightly, revealing a small baby boy with dark hair sleeping soundly in her arms.

"Hakoda, may I present to you my new son." Iroh said gesturing to the baby, "Zuko."

"Well I'll be." Hakoda said staring at the baby. "He's gorgeous Ursa. It's obvious which side of the family he takes after."

Ursa smiled sweetly and planted a kiss on her son's forehead. The baby moaned and turned his head as he continued to sleep.

"So how is everything Hakoda?" Ursa asked. "Has Kya had the baby yet?"

"Not yet. She's at home resting right now, but I got the little guy right here with me." Hakoda said gesturing for Sokka to walk forward. Sokka looked nervously up at Ursa and bowed. "Hi Miss Ursa."

"Oh my, is that little Sokka? He's gotten so big." she said smiling down at the young boy who smiled bashfully back at her.

"Come look Sokka," Hakoda said picking him up and holding him towards the baby. "This is Queen Ursa's newborn son, Zuko. One day you and him will be best buddies, just like Iroh and I are." he said grinning at Iroh.

Sokka looked curiously down at the small baby who woke up and yawned slightly. He then looked up at Sokka with big curious eyes and started drooling bubbles down his chin. Sokka flinched and stuck his tongue out in disgust as he turned away from the baby. "Yuck."

"Well it's about that time." Bumi said approaching the couple. "Shall we get started?"

"Of course." Iroh said taking the baby from Ursa as he followed Bumi toward the edge of the balcony. The crowd below watched them approach and an instant hush fell across the courtyard.

With the crowd watching, Iroh held his son out to Bumi who pulled a small box kit out of his suitcase. Inside the kit was a reed branch, a vial of water and a bag of sand.

"Water, from the northern glaciers." Bumi said as he uncorked the vial and poured some into his hand. "To provide insight and guidance." After anointing the baby's head, he took out a small bag of sand.

"Earth, from the eastern desserts." Bumi said pouring the sand into his hand and spreading it across his forehead. "To protect you from harm and give you strength."

He then got out the reed stick and held it toward Iroh. "Mind lending a hand?"

"Of course." Iroh then tapped his finger on the reed causing it to ignite.

"Fire, from a reed in the western islands." Bumi then raised it high above the baby. "To give you courage, and remind you of your heritage."

As the reed burned out, an ash landed on the baby's nose. Baby Zuko wrinkled his nose and sneezed out a big puff of fire toward Bumi.

"Yikes!" Bumi yelled as his beard instantly caught fire. He then dropped the reed and quickly patted it out.

"Seems like your son is quite the little spitfire." Hakoda said to Ursa who smiled while Sokka let out a small laugh.

"Sorry about that Bumi." Iroh chuckled as he handed him back the reed.

"Not a problem Iroh. Can't mask a fire bender's natural instinct." Bumi said wiping the embers out of his beard. "Now then…may I?"

Iroh nodded and handed Bumi the baby. The three then watched as Bumi carried him toward the balcony edge as the crowd below craned their necks to get a look.

"Um…is that really a good idea? Letting Bumi hold the baby near the balcony?" he asked as he nervously watched Bumi step onto the ledge.

"It's alright Hakoda. Bumi knows what he's doing." Iroh said confidently.

Standing on the ledge, Bumi looked down at the small baby "And now…I lift you toward the skies. So that the winds from all four corners may give you their energy and lift your spirits high."

He then lifted the baby toward the sky as a mighty wind blew down upon them. The crowd below erupted into cheers and applause as they beheld the Fire Nation's future ruler for the first time. People let off small fire crackers and shot barrels of confetti high into the air as the choir continued its inspirational song.

_It's The Circle of Life  
And it moves us all  
Through despair and hope  
Through faith and love_

As Bumi held Zuko high for all to see, the winds parted the clouds to reveal the bright rays of the sun. Sunlight then shone brightly down upon the young prince and earth king as Iroh, Ursa, Hakoda and Sokka stood beside them. Below, all the on lookers bowed respectively before the royal family and friends.

_Till we find our place  
On the path unwinding  
In the Circle  
The Circle of Life_

"Behold Prince Zuko." Bumi said lowering the baby as he stared bright eyed at the crowd. "This is your kingdom…your legacy…your destiny."

xXxXx


	2. Ozai

Chapter 2: Ozai

Meanwhile in the north wing of the palace, Iroh's younger brother Ozai sat somberly at his dinner table with a bowl of fire snails. Unlike everyone else in the Fire Nation, Ozai was the only person not celebrating the birth of the new prince. Instead he had isolated himself in his private quarters which were richly decorated with dark red furniture, suits of armor and many old Fire Nation war weapons.

Looking angrily down at his fire snails, he grabbed a big fat one which emitted a belch of flames as it squirmed between his long fingernails.

"Life isn't fair is it?" he said to the snail. "For me, I will never get to be Fire Lord. And for you…well you'll never see the light of another day. Bye bye now…" He then lifted the snail toward his mouth when the doors flew open.

"Ozai!" shouted Hakoda as he cheerfully walked into the room. "There you are!"

"Oh no…" Ozai said slapping his face to his palm.

"Well if it isn't Iroh's kid brother. Long time no see eh?" he said slapping Ozai on the back, causing him to drop his snail which began to quickly slither away.

"Hakoda you made me drop my snack!" he said indignantly.

"Well that's what you get for playing with your food." Hakoda said letting out a laugh. "Speaking of which, may I?" he then grabbed a snail before Ozai could respond and slurped it down. "Mmm, slimy yet satisfying!"

Ozai growled. "Is there any reason you've decided to intrude upon my chambers?"

"You mean besides for fun?" Hakoda asked with a snicker. "Actually your brother sent me to look for you. He was not happy that you weren't there at the ceremony."

"What I do in my personal time is none of your business." Ozai said getting up and pointing toward the door. "Now you please leave?"

"C'mon Ozai, I hardly ever get to see you." Hakoda said walking up to him and putting an arm around him. "Remember when we were young and I used to come to the palace every summer?"

"How can I forget?" Ozai said rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"Remember when I would sneak up on you in the hallways and get ya in a headlock?" Hakoda grinned in amusement.

"Yes actually." Ozai said turning to Hakoda. "I also remember you pouring a bucket of water on my head whenever I practiced my fire bending."

"Oh yeah!" Hakoda smiled fondly. "Haha, good times."

"Indeed." Ozai said with a smirk. "Actually right now is when I usually practice my fire bending. But oh dear, there doesn't seem to be a bucket in sight…"

Seeing the crazed look in his eye, Hakoda started to nervously back away. "Alright then Ozai, I think I'll go tell Iroh I found you now-"

"But Hakoda, you said yourself we don't see each other enough." Ozai's fist began to ignite. "And it's been so long since I've had a sparring partner."

Hakoda gulped. "Now Ozai…don't look at me that way…You know I don't bend!" he then ducked as Ozai took a fiery swing at him. Hakoda tried running toward the door but Ozai grabbed him and pinned him to the wall with one fiery fist raised.

"Ozai!" shouted a male voice.

Ozai and Hakoda looked up and turned to see Iroh standing at the top step in the doorway looking stern. "Let him go."

"Nice timing Iroh!" Hakoda said looking nervously at Ozai who reluctantly lower his fist and let go of him. Ozai then walked toward Iroh as he made his way down the stairs.

"Why if it isn't my big brother, descending from on high to mingle with the common folk." Ozai said sarcastically with a fake smile. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"Ursa and I did not see you at the presentation of Zuko." Iroh said sternly. "Care to explain why?"

"You mean that was today?" Ozai asked with fake surprise. "Oh I feel simply awful! Guess it must've slipped my mind."

"How could you forget your own nephew's ceremony?" Hakoda asked. "Kinda hard considering every citizen from the four nations was present today. Out of everyone, you should've been the first in line."

Ozai narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. "I WAS first in line!" he said turning to Hakoda angrily. "Until that little runt was born I-"

"That runt!" Iroh interrupted stepping between Ozai and Hakoda. "Is MY son! And your future Fire lord."

"Oh of course." Ozai said sarcastically. "Well let me go practice my curtsy then." he then turned to walk out of the room.

"Don't turn your back on me Ozai!" Iroh shouted toward him.

"Oh no Iroh." Ozai said snidely. "It is you who shouldn't turn your back on me."

Insulted, Iroh rushed forward and grabbed Ozai shoulder. Ozai quickly turned and batted him away before taking a fighting stance.

Iroh also took a stance and igniting his hands "Are you really going to challenge me Ozai?"

Ozai glared at his brother for a moment and extinguished his flames, resuming his calm demeanor. "Of course not Iroh. You know I would never dream of challenging you."

"And why is that?" Iroh asked also extinguishing his flames.

"We both know when it comes to brains, I got the lion share." Ozai said proudly. "But I'm afraid when it comes to brute strength, I got the shallow end of the gene pool. Thus it makes no sense for me to fight you."

"Wimp." Hakoda mumbled to himself.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to the bath house. See you later brother...Hakoda…" Ozai then turned and walked out the door.

Iroh frowned and let out a sigh as Hakoda walked up next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't let him get to ya Iroh. There's always one in every family…well two in mine for some reason. They always manage to ruin special occasions, even when they're not there."

Iroh sighed and rubbed his head. "I just don't know what to do with him sometimes. He's so...strange. I can never tell when he's being sincere or not. It kind of worries me…"

"It's a shame you promised your mother you'd look after him." Hakoda said as they made their way into the hall. "Otherwise we could've made him into a rather handsome throw rug by now."

"Hakoda, really!" Iroh said in an amused tone.

"No I'm serious! Just think, whenever he back talks you, you can wipe your feet on him. And when he gets dirty, you can take him out back and beat him." Hakoda and Iroh laughed out loud.

As they proceeded toward the main hall, Ozai appeared in the far corner. Having listened to their conversation, he grimaced in anger.

xXx

About two weeks had passed and Bumi had finally arrived back home to Omashu, much to the happiness of his subjects.

"King Bumi!" shouted his advisor. "Welcome back sire!"

"It's great to be back." Bumi said as he handed his bags to the servants.

"We have been anticipating your return and have set up a magnificent feast in your honor."

"Sounds delightful." Bumi smiled. "But first, I have certain duties to attend to. Make sure when I get there, there is a plate of rock candy waiting for me!"

He then entered a large room and closed the door behind him. Inside the large and magnificently decorated room were rows of bookshelves along with a small herb garden.

In the corner of a room was a small decorated shine featuring a picture of an old bald monk. Taking of branch of incense, Bumi lit it and placed it before the picture.

"Gyatso, my old friend and master." Bumi said bowing to the picture. "Once again, I have carried on the great traditions you taught me as held by the Order of the White Lotus. I have blessed the new future ruler of the Fire Nation and will now add him to the ever growing tree of life."

He then turned to a large wall which had a picture of an oak tree on it. It had many branches and was divided into four segments, each featuring the royal families of the four nations. Attached to the Fire Nation branches were pictures of past Fire Lords dating back many centuries and generations.

"Hello there old friends." Bumi said to the portraits. "I have a new addition to add to the tree."

He then took a picture of Zuko out of his pocket and hung the portrait below Iroh's. Standing back to admire the family tree, Bumi then grabbed a bowl of black soot and used his thumb to smudge a Fire Nation mark over the baby's head to symbolize the prince's crown.

"Young prince Zuko." Bumi said looking at the small baby. "I have a feeling that your future reign as Fire Lord will be like no other."

xXxXx

Hope you enjoyed the first two chapters :) don't forget to be totally honest in your reviews. the next one should be up by next Sunday or possibly sooner.

Also, my last chapter for Beauty and the Beast is taking a little longer then expected but will be posted within the week. and it shall be epic! :D well...epically romantic anyway


	3. The Morning Report

Well it figures...I'm all set to write my new chapter and suddenly I see on my schedule that I have a government paper due in two weeks :( so of course all my efforts go into mandatory school work, thus pushing my chapter back (again -_-)

But everythings fine now, i wrote my essay, I wrote this chapter and I'm already halfway done with the next chapter. Hopefully i can get in two by thanksgiving, no promises though. school work come first...blargh...

Chapter 3: The Morning Report

Ten years had passed and Prince Zuko had grown into a strong, healthy and very active young boy. Like his father, he was a natural born fire bender and had a healthy curiosity of the world around him which Iroh greatly encouraged.

One morning Zuko got up earlier then usual, for his dad had promised to give him a tour of the towns that surrounded the Imperial Pride Palace. Zuko always loved spending time with his dad and although he had seen the towns that lay near the city, he hadn't seen the ones near the valley. Zuko was so excited that he was up and dressed before the sun even peaked over the horizon.

He then rushed down the hall, past the Kyoshi warriors who were guarding the entrance and threw open the doors to his parents chambers. Inside, Iroh snored loudly away as Ursa slept serenely beside him.

"Dad! Come on get up! We gotta go!" he then rushed forward and jumped onto their bed, climbing over the covers. "Dad! Dad you up? Come on get up, get up!"

Ursa stirred as Zuko started jumping up and down on the bed and mumbled to Iroh, "Your son is awake…"

Iroh, still trying to sleep, let out a snort and mumbled back. "Before sunrise, he's 'your' son."

"Dad! Come on dad!" Zuko pestered as he kept shaking his dads shoulder. He then grabbed onto the back of his robe and tried pulling him up but Iroh turned on his back, causing Zuko to lose his grip and fall off the bed.

"Ow!" Zuko moaned rubbing his head. Getting frustrated, he climbed back on the bed and jumped onto his dad's stomach.

"Oof!" Iroh gasped, sitting up in bed as he felt Zuko knock the wind out of him. "Zuko really now! The sun hasn't even risen."

"But you said we were going to tour the kingdom today bright and early!" Zuko insisted. "You promised!"

Seeing the impatient, determined look on his face, Iroh let out a sigh. "Okay then. I'll get up." he said yawning loudly as he threw off the covers.

"Alright!" Zuko said excitedly as he leaped off the bed and headed for the door.

"Our son sure can be persuasive when he wants to be." Ursa said as she got out of bed.

"YOUR son remember?" Iroh said as he got his robes on.

"Not anymore." Ursa said pointing out the window as the sun rose in the distance. She then smiled smugly at her husband, who chuckled in amusement.

xXx

Outside the palace, the royal family had gathered in the courtyard where the Palanquin and royal precession waited to take them outside the palace.

"Now be careful out there." Ursa said, kneeling down as she tied Zuko's sash on properly. "Stay with you father and listen to everything he says."

"Yes mom." Zuko said slightly rolling his eyes. Ursa smiled and hugged Zuko tight before planting a kiss on his cheek. Zuko flinched a bit but nonetheless returned her hug. She then watched proudly as he joined Iroh on the palanquin which preceded toward the great gates.

"Good morning up there!" Iroh called to the high tower, leaning out the side.

A solider stuck his head out and waved. "Good Morning Fire Lord Iroh! Going on another outing today?"

"I'm taking my son out for a tour of the kingdom." Iroh shouted back. "Would you kindly open the gates?"

"Sure thing!" The solider then disappeared back inside the tower and with a loud creak, the large doors slowly opened up.

"Where shall we go first my Lord?" asked the front palanquin carrier asked.

"Just follow the road for now. I'll tell you when to stop." Iroh instructed. "Go ahead Zuko. Have a look."

Pulling back the drapes, a wonderful sight met young Zuko's eyes. Down below the hill where the Imperial City sat, was a luscious landscape filled with vast colored plains and crystal blue rivers that weaved around the small Fire Nation towns. In the far distance, a beautiful mountain range as tall as the sky stretched across the landscape toward the clouds. With the rising sun basking everything in its light, it was truly a wondrous sight to behold.

The servants carried the palanquin down the stone path and soon approached an overlook that sat on the far edge of the hill. Iroh called for them to stop and he and Zuko got out to walk upon the overlook, which gave a perfect aerial view of the surrounding land. Although Zuko had seen parts of the Fire Nation before, it always amazed him at how naturally beautiful his homeland could look, especially at daybreak.

"Behold Prince Zuko." Iroh said gesturing to the vast landscape. "Everything you see here before you, everything that the sunlight touches, is our kingdom."

"Wow..." Zuko said in amazement as he looked all around him.

"As descendants of Agni, a Fire Lords time as ruler rises and falls like the sun." Iroh explained. "One day Zuko, the sun will set on my time here and rise again with you as the new Fire Lord."

"And this will all be mine?" Zuko asked looking up at his dad.

"Everything you see and beyond." Iroh nodded. "From the smallest winding river to the tallest mountain."

"Everything the light touches..." Zuko repeated looking at landscape and noticing all the villages that lined the countryside. "What about all those towns down there?"

"Of course." Iroh said putting a hand on his shoulder. "The citizens of the Fire Nation are your most precious assets. They will treat you with the same respect and kindness that you give them."

As Zuko looked over the towns, he noticed one particular village in the distance that sat near a large lake and below a large luminous volcano, almost hidden in darkness. "What about that shadowy town over there?" Zuko asked pointing in the distance.

A small scowl appeared on Iroh's face as he laid eyes on the dark village. "That is the town of Vulcano. It is a dangerous town full of shady and questionable inhabitants. You must never ever go there Zuko."

"But I thought the Fire Lord can do whatever he wants?" Zuko asked.

"He can, but there's a lot more to being Fire Lord then getting your way all the time." Iroh explained.

"There's more?" Zuko asked with excitement.

Iroh laughed and put his arm around his shoulder. "Come son. We have more to see."

xXx

The palanquin soon brought them to the nearest town where Iroh was met with many admirers and grateful townspeople.

"Good morning Fire Lord Iroh!" waved a merchant girl.

"Good morning young lady!" Iroh bowed to her.

"Great to see you your majesty!" waved a salesmen as he passed by with his cart.

"Same to you!" Iroh said also bowing to him.

"Fire Lord Iroh!" called out an old begger from the street. "How's it going?"

"Very well thank you." Iroh nodded to him, taking a coin out of his pocket and tossing it into the man's tin cup.

"Gee thanks!" he said smiling widely at him with his one tooth.

"Wow, the people here really like you dad." Zuko said with admiration.

"As I told you before, the treat the people right and they will treat you right." Iroh said with a smile as another merchant tossed him an apple which he promptly took a bite out of.

Eventually, they made their way outside the town to the large plains where animals of all species and interbreeds co-existed in harmony.

"So many animals..." Zuko said looking at a herd of WingedBuffalo. "Not even the royal zoo has this many."

"That is because not all animal are allowed to be kept in the zoo." Iroh explained. "You see Zuko, just like the four nations exists together in harmony, the animals and plant life here are part of a delicate balance. As Fire Lord, you must understand and strive to keep that balance. Everything from the smallest LizardFly to the leaping Rabbiroo are a vital part."

"But dad, don't we eat the Rabbiroo?" Zuko asked.

"Yes son but let me explain." Iroh went on. "When we die, our bodies become part of the ground that feeds the grass. And the Rabbiroo eat the grass. So in a way, we are all connected in the great circle of life."

Just then they heard a faint screech and looked up in the sky to see a messenger hawk with a blue bandanna flying their way. They then heard a shout and turned to see a boy in a blue robes with a pony tail running towards them from the village.

"Fire Lord Iroh is that you?" shouted the boy.

"I believe we have company." Iroh said, holding his hand above his eyes as he looked into the distance. "Is that Sokka?"

"Hawky slow down will ya!" he yelled to the bird in exasperation.

"Yep, that's Sokka..." Zuko said, letting out an annoyed sigh. "Great..."

Sokka was the son of Chief Hakoda and had come up to the palace every summer to stay with Zuko's family. Although Iroh had encouraged them to be friends, Zuko could never get along with Sokka, as he found his over-eagerness to please and arrogant smugness very annoying.

Soon Sokka caught up with them and fell onto his knees, huffing and puffing.

"Steady now Sokka, take some deep breaths." Iroh instructed.

Upon catching his breath, Sokka straightened up and bowed to Iroh "Good morning sire!"

"Good morning to you too." Iroh said happily. "This is a surprise Sokka, we weren't expecting your family till tomorrow."

"We arrived a day ahead of schedule. Beat our previous record of 4 days and 16 hours." Sokka explained proudly. "I told dad soon we'll have the fastest team of EelHounds in the world!"

Zuko rolled his eyes in annoyance as his dad elbowed him. "Zuko, aren't you going to say hi to your old friend?" Iroh asked.

Zuko flinched at the concept of Sokka being his friend but nonetheless put on a fake smile and bowed to him. "Hi Sokka. What a…pleasure…to see you again."

"Thanks. Same here." Sokka said bowing slightly to him.

Iroh smiled as he saw how polite Zuko was being. Sokka however, could sense the insincerity in his voice. Just like Zuko, Sokka didn't consider the Fire Nation prince a friend either. Even though his father had pushed him into forming a friendship with the boy, Sokka had just couldn't grasp the idea as he thought the young prince was too immature and reckless. Not to mention that Zuko would always cheat and use his bending to beat him whenever they practiced sparring, something that the non-bender always resented.

He then heard a squawk in the sky and saw the messenger hawk circling overhead.

"I see Hakoda has given you control of the family messenger bird." Iroh said looking at the bird.

"Well not exactly…hey Hawky, come down here!" The hawk flew downward and landed on Sokka's shoulder where it began squawking loudly and pecking him in his ear.

"Ow stop! I know, I know!" he then reached into his pocket and took out a meaty treat, tossing it to the bird who eagerly gobbled it up.

"Ahh, so your father got you a new messenger Hawk." Noting the spotted bandanna around its neck, Iroh could see that it was a young bird, possibly a descendant from Hakoda's bird. "So have you begun training it yet?"

"Trying to." Sokka said, flinching slightly as the hawk dug his talons into his shoulder. "Hawky's my early birthday present. Normally I don't get one till I'm sixteen but I convinced dad that I'm mature enough to hand it. Right Hawky?" The bird squawked then pooped on Sokka's shoulder before flying off.

Zuko covered his mouth and tried hard not laugh, with little success. Even Iroh had to stifle a chuckle.

"Gee thanks!" Sokka called out sarcastically as he used a cloth to wipe his shoulder.

"Don't worry, he'll come around Sokka. Why don't you join us on our tour around the kingdom? Although I probably should stop back at the palace to get the morning report-"

"No need! I have it right here!" Sokka then whipped out a long parchment that had a Fire Nation seal on it. "Grabbed it right before I came here!"

"That's very thoughtful of you Sokka." Iroh said. "But my advisers are the ones who brief me on the reports."

"Oh but Iroh can't I do it this once?" Sokka pleaded. "I need to learn how to read reports if I'm going to be Chief one day!"

"Well, if you really want to..." Iroh said as Zuko tried motioning for him not to. "Fire away then!" Zuko then pouted angrily and crossed his arms.

"Oh thank you sire!" Sokka said gratefully. Clearing his throat, he opened the scroll and started to read.

_Chimps are going ape, giraffes remain above it all  
Elephants remember, though just what I can't recall  
Crocodiles are snapping up fresh offers from the cranes  
Showed interest in their nest eggs but they quickly said, "No thanks!"  
We haven't paid the horn bills and the vultures have a hunch  
Not everyone invited will be coming back from lunch_

"Sokka, are you sure your reading the report on the governors and not a report on the local zoo animals?" Iroh asked.

Sokka looked back over the words and turned the parchment sideways. "Actually I can't tell the difference."

Zuko meanwhile, being bored out of his mind, started looking around the ground and eventually saw a BullFrog hopping from stone to stone. Finding it much more interesting then the report, he began chasing after it as Sokka went back to reading. Soon Iroh noticed Zuko running around behind him shooting flames at a frog. "What are you doing, son?"

Zuko leaped behind a large rock to grab the frog but missed. "Bending."

"Why don't you let an old pro show you how it's done?" Iroh said glancing mischievously at Sokka who wasn't paying attention.

_The buffalo have got a beef  
About this season's grass  
Warthogs have been thwarted  
In attempts to save their gas_

"Stay low to the ground." Iroh instructed, kneeling behind the rock beside Zuko.

"Okay stay low..." Zuko repeated slouching down.

"Shh, not a sound." Iroh whispered as Sokka paced in front of the rock.

_Flamingos in the pink  
Chasing secretary birds  
Saffron is the season's color  
Seen in all the herds_

"Take it slow...Fist raised..." Iroh said adjusting his sons stance.

_Moving down the rank and file  
To near the bottom rung  
Far too many beetles are  
Quite frankly in the dung!_

"Back straight...one more step...FIRE!"

"What?" Sokka asked. Suddenly he felt something hot strike his butt and turned to see his pants catch on fire. As he ran around trying desperately to pat it out, Zuko then leaped from behind the rock and tackled him onto the ground. Sokka fell to the ground with a thud and glared up at Zuko who began shaking his behind at him.

"What's wrong non-bender?" Zuko asked mockingly. "Can't take the heat?"

Sokka spit out some grass and stood up. "Alright that's it!" Taking out his sword, he sprinted toward the prince, attempting to spear him.

Zuko ducked out of the way and they both took a fighting stance as they started circling each other, daring the other to make the first move.

Sokka then lunged toward Zuko, who stepped aside and grabbed Sokka's arm. He then spun him around before pulling off his sash and tying his arm to his leg. Sokka hopped around before falling hard onto his face in the dirt.

Iroh let out a hearty laugh while Zuko smiled smugly down at Sokka.

"That was very good!" Iroh said proudly. "Are you okay there Sokka?"

"Just dandy sire..." Sokka said into the dirt.

As Zuko joined his father back behind the rock, a solider on an OstrichHorse rode up the plains and stopped before Sokka.

"Young man, have you seen Fire Lord Iroh?" he asked. Sokka looked up, his face covered in grass and dirt, and pointed behind the rock where Iroh was giving Zuko more lessons.

"Alright, now this time instead of balling your hand into a fist," Iroh instructed. "Your going to-"

"My lord!" called the solider as he emerge into view. "Sorry to interrupt you sir but pirates have been spotted near the harbor and are causing havoc among ships."

Iroh narrowed his eyes in concern. "Then we haven't a moment to lose. Let's go." the solder then lent a hand and pulled Iroh onto the OstrichHorse's back. "Sokka, take Zuko back to the palanquin and go to the palace."

"Yes sir!" Sokka said wiping his face.

"But dad I want to come!" Zuko pleaded.

"No son." Iroh said sharply. "Go!" The soldier snapped the rains and the OstrichHorse immediately set off towards the harbor.

Watching as he disappeared into the horizon, Zuko shook his head in frustration. "It's not fair! I never get to go anywhere..."

"Oh Relax. When your Fire Lord, you can chase those stupid, dirty, pillaging thieves from dawn till dusk."

"But today was supposed to be my day with dad! It's not fair..." he grumbled kicking the rocks.

"Come on, lets head back. Katara waiting at the palace and she's been really looking forward to seeing you."

Zuko's annoyance disappeared a little at the mention of Katara. She was his best friend and the only reason he tolerated Sokka's visits. Nodding, he and Sokka headed back into town where the palanquin waited to take them to the palace.

xXxXx

For those of you who don't know, a palanquin is a wheeless carriage that is carried by two or more people and is used mostly by royalty for transportation. Think of that throne that Azula used to ride on when she was first introduced.


	4. Just can't wait to be Fire Lord

FINALLY! After weeks of hard work, coupled with schoolwork, illness, social obligations and the dreaded holidays, I finished my 4th chapter ^o^ and boy is it a doosy. Taking note of the complaints from the last chapter, Ive spent extra time coming up with my own lyrics :) hope you all enjoy

Chapter 4: Just can't wait to be Fire Lord

Back at the palace, Ozai was walking through the garden till he came upon a large willow tree and sat beneath it. Taking out a book, he began to read when he heard loud obnoxious laughter. He looked to the right to see Sokka walking down the hallway while chatting with Zuko who looked very annoyed.

"Ooh, ooh, listen to this joke. What do you call an earth bender with an attitude problem?…stubborn as a rock!" Sokka then laughed loudly at his own joke while Zuko simply rolled his eyes. He then noticed his Uncle Ozai sitting outside in the garden reading a book and got an idea.

"Why don't you go ahead Sokka?" Zuko said. "I'm gonna go say hi to my uncle."

"Alright but be quick. I got more jokes I wanna try out." Sokka said eagerly before he continued down the hall.

Zuko let out a relived sigh and then proceeded toward the garden. Although Zuko didn't spend much time with his uncle, as Ozai was very reclusive, Zuko had a certain fondness for him and always enjoyed their conversations.

"Hi Uncle Ozai!" Zuko waved at him.

Ozai looked up from his book and sighed in annoyance. "Hello Zuko…"

"Uncle Ozai guess what?" Zuko said appearing in front of him.

Ozai kept his eyes glued to the book. "I despise guessing games."

"I'm going to be Fire Lord one day." Zuko said proudly.

"Oh goody…" Ozai said sarcastically.

"Yep. My dad showed me around the nation today. He said one day I'm going to rule it all!" Zuko explained excitedly sitting beside Ozai.

Ozai narrowed his eyes but kept an emotionless expression as he closed his book. "Yes…well forgive me for not leaping for joy. Bad back you know." He then got up and started walking back through the gardens. Zuko then followed beside him, ignoring Ozai's obvious desire to be alone.

"Hey Uncle Ozai, when I become Fire Lord, what will that make you?" Zuko asked.

"A HogMonkey's Uncle." Ozai replied sarcastically.

Zuko couldn't help but laugh. "You're so weird."

Ozai stopped and glared at Zuko who immediately stopped laughing and recoiled slightly in fear. But rather then intimidate the boy, Ozai decided to use the opportunity to his advantage and allowed a small smile to form on his face. "You have no idea…so, your father showed you around the kingdom did he?"

Zuko then relaxed a bit, believing he was started to grow on his uncle, and nodded. "Yep, everything around the palace and in the valley."

"I see. Did he take you to that one town that sits between the lake and the volcano?"

"Well, no..." Zuko said sounding a little disappointed. "Dad told me I shouldn't go there."

"And he's absolutely right of course, it's far too dangerous." Ozai said. "Only the bravest and most skilled fire benders go there."

Zuko then looked curiously at his uncle. "But I am brave. And a really good bender too. What exactly is over there?"

"I'm sorry Zuko but I simply can't tell you." Ozai said shaking his head.

"But why not?" Zuko asked.

"Zuko, my dear boy, try to understand. I'm only looking out for well being of my favorite nephew." he said patting the boys head.

"Yeah right, I'm your only nephew." Zuko said looking at him skeptically.

"All the more reason for me to protect you." Ozai said simply. "Besides, a pirate graveyard is way too dangerous for a young prince-Oops!" Ozai then quickly covered his mouth.

"A pirate graveyard!" Zuko asked, his curiosity peaked. "Really? Wow that sounds so cool!"

"Oh dear, I've said too much…" Ozaid said pretending to rub the side of his temple in shame. "Well I suppose you would've figured it out eventually. What with you being so clever and all."

"You really think so?" Zuko asked.

"Of course." Ozai said kneeling down to face him. "Just do me a favor Zuko would you? Promise me you will never venture out to that dreadful place?"

Zuko thought it over and nodded. "No problem." He then kept his fingers crossed behind his back.

"There's a good lad." Ozai said patting his shoulder. "Now you run along and have fun. I believe your water tribe friend is in the courtyard with your mother."

"Thanks!" Zuko said as he turned and ran toward the palace.

"Oh and Zuko," Ozai called out. "Try to keep this our little secret?"

"I will Uncle Ozai!" Zuko said giving a thumbs up as he ran inside.

An evil grin then formed Ozai face. He knew the young prince would not be able to resist visiting the graveyard, and with a town full of pirates and criminals, as well of a few of his own personal contacts, Zuko was sure to meet his end.

xXx

Out in the courtyard, Ursa and Hakoda were sitting by the water fountain watching Sokka and Katara spar with two wooden swords.

"I'm gonna get you this time Sokka!" Katara shouted as she took a swipe at him.

"In your dreams!" Sokka responded as blocked her attack.

"Sokka sure has gotten better at sword fighting." Ursa said as she watched Sokka parry Katara back toward the wall. "He's improved a lot from last year."

"Of course he has. He's been working with me after all, and one day he'll be a master swordsman just like all the other great chiefs of our tribe." Hakoda said confidently. "I just wish I could do the same for Katara…"

Unlike Sokka, Katara was a water bender and the only one in her tribe. But despite not having a teacher, Katara managed to hold her own in battle fairly well through her own self taught skills.

"Ha! Gotcha!" Sokka asked as he whacked Katara's sword away from her and pinned her to the wall. "Any last words?"

"Yes." Katara said as she looked over his shoulder. "Dad! Ursa! Move!"

"Move?" Hakoda asked.

Ursa stood up and quickly pulled Hakoda out of the way as Katara raised her arm high. Suddenly all the water in the fountain swirled around and rose high up into the air towards Sokka.

Hearing the rush of water, Sokka barely had time to turn as a large wave crash down upon at him. Katara casually stepped to the side as Sokka came crashing into the wall, soaked from head to toe. He let out a gargled groan and spit out a large amount of water.

"No fair!" Sokka said getting up, dripping wet. "We agreed on no bending!"

Katara shrugged. "Sorry. It was my reflexes."

"More like a cheap shot." Sokka grimaced wiping off his face.

"I'll show you a cheap shot!" She then raised her arms and summoned up a water whip. She attempted to use it, but hit the whip swirled frantically before hitting the wall.

"Missed." Sokka pointed out.

"Not this time." Katara then tried doing it again but the whip flew in the opposite direction, nailing her father right in the face.

"Oops! Sorry dad!" Katara called out, blushing in embarrassment as Sokka simply shook his head.

"It's alright Katara, I'm okay." Hakoda said tenderly rubbing his forehead. "Ow…"

"Seems to me Katara is doing just fine." Ursa chuckled as she handed him a towel. "Her bending may not be that of a masters, but she seems to be learning quickly."

"She is improving, that is true." Hakoda said wiping his face. "But I know she can do so much more. In fact, I was thinking about sending her to the Northern tribe next summer so she can train with other water benders."

"The North? Next summer?" Ursa asked, a note of concern in her voice. "Have you talked to Katara about this?"

"Not yet." Hakoda said wringing his shirt dry. "But I'm sure she'll go for the idea. I know she eager to improve her skills."

"What about Zuko?" Ursa asked. "You know she's one of his only friends and the whole reason he looks forward to the summer."

"It's only for a year or so. Just until she's able to continue training on her own." Hakoda said optimistically. "I'm sure Zuko can wait that long."

"Shut up and stand still!" Katara yelled as she tried once again to use the whip. However, she ended up whipping herself instead. "Ouch! Darn it!"

"Yeah well, while your working on that." Sokka said putting away his sword. "I'm gonna go dry off." He then grabbed a towel and walked off.

"Ugh! Why can't I get this?" Katara said in a frustrating tone.

"Relax sweetheart." Hakoda said walking towards her. "You're doing well, you just need to work on your aim a bit more."

"But dad I've been at this for weeks and I still cant make a basic water whip! I'm never gonna get this right…" Katara said disappointingly.

Hakoda looked sympathetically at his daughter. "Yes you will. You just need more training. In fact, I was thinking maybe-"

"Hey Katara!"

Katara then turned and smiled widely as she watched Zuko rush into the courtyard. "Zuko!"

"Why if it isn't Prince Zuko back from his world tour." Hakoda greeted warmly. "So good to see you again."

"It's great to see you too Chief Hakoda." Zuko said bowing respectively to him. "May I borrow Katara for a minute?"

"Sure thing." Hakoda then turned to Katara. "We'll talk more later."

Katara nodded and followed Zuko off to the side. "What is it Zuko?"

"I'm glad you're here. I just found out about this really cool place we just have to see. It's a bit far but if we leave now we can see it and be back before dark." he then grabbed her hand. "Come on lets go!"

"Zuko I can't." Katara said pulling back. "I need to practice my bending. You know how hard I've been training all year."

"But you got the whole summer to do that!" Zuko complained. "You need to see this place with me! It'll be fun!"

Katara looked uncertainly at Zuko as she began thinking it over. As much she wanted to practice her bending, the lure of adventure and fun was too good to pass up.

"Alright fine, I'll come." Katara nodded. "But it better not be any place dumb!"

"Trust me, it's really cool." Zuko said.

"So where is this really cool place?" Ursa asked as she appeared behind Zuko.

"Oh uh, uh…" Zuko stuttered nervously and thought quickly on the spot. "At the royal zoo!"

"The zoo?" Katara exclaimed. "That's where we're going? What's so great about the zoo?"

"I'll show you when we get there!" Zuko muttered through his teeth, looking intently at her.

"Oh…Oh! Gotcha." Katara said winking at him. "Hey dad, can I go to the zoo with Zuko?"

"Hmm, I don't see why not." Hakoda said. "What do you think Ursa?"

"Well…" Ursa began.

"Please?" they both begged, their eyes big with pleading.

Ursa smiled "It's alright with me-"

"Yes!" they high fived each other and started running off.

"-as long as Sokka goes with you." Ursa finished.

Zuko and Katara stopped in their tracks "What? No not Sokka!"

"You rang?" Sokka asked stepping between them.

"I want you to escort Zuko and Katara to the zoo." Ursa instructed. "You two will stay with Sokka and behave yourselves. Understood?"

"Yes…" They both grumbled.

"Can do your majesty!" Sokka said confidently, putting him arms around the two. "Looks like we're gonna have a full day of fun together huh guys?"

Zuko smacked his forehead and groaned as Katara merely shook her head in frustration.

xXx

A short while later, the palanquin dropped the three kids off at the entrance to the royal zoo which lay nestled between the mountains and valley. It was by far the largest zoo in the Fire Nation and featured the most exotic animals which were kept in wide open enclosures. But while the other visitors watched the animals with excitement, Zuko and Katara had other thought on their mind.

"Come on guys, step lively now. The sooner we see everything, the sooner we can leave." Sokka then got out his big gigantic map of zoo and began scanning over it. "Now I was thinking first we go see the platapusbears, followed by the tigerdillos and then- "

As Sokka read on, Katara lingered back with Zuko till they were out of ear shot.

"So where are we REALLY going?" Katara asked.

"A pirate graveyard." Zuko whispered.

"WOW!" Katara exclaimed.

"Shh! Sokka." Zuko whispered fiercely pointing at him.

"Oh right." Katara quieting herself. "So how do we ditch the loudmouth?"

"Knock him out with club and run?" Zuko asked hopefully.

"Zuko." Katara said, looking at him sternly.

"Well he's your brother. How do you propose we get rid of him?" Zuko asked.

Katara thought briefly "I know!"

As she began whispering her plan to him, they came upon the Sabertooth MooseLion enclosure.

"Now look at these magnificent beasts." Sokka said admirably. "You don't see creatures like this in the water tribe right Katara?" He then looked up but saw that Katara was no longer behind him. Instead she was off to side with Zuko whispering something in his ear. He then watched curiously as Zuko's face lit up and he quietly whispered something back to her, making the both of them laugh out loud.

Even though Sokka didn't exactly approve of Zuko hanging out with Katara, as he considered him a bad influence on her, he had to admit their close friendship was rather sweet. And for their families, it was even better.

"Well just look at you two…" Sokka said walking over to them. "Two little HummingDoves fluttering about together in the breeze. I gotta tell ya, our parents will defiantly be thrilled."

"What are you talking about?" Zuko asked.

"Well I'm no fan of the idea, but with you two being betrothed and all-"

"Be-what?" Zuko asked.

"You know, betrothed. Intended? Affianced?" Sokka said listing off more complicated words.

Zuko and Katara looked at each other in confusion before looking back at Sokka. "Meaning…?"

"Meaning, that one day you two are going to be married." Sokka explained.

"EWW!" Zuko and Katara shouted in disgust before looking at one other "YUCK!" both exclaimed quickly backing away from each other.

"Are you nuts? I can't marry her! She's my friend!" Zuko stated.

"Yeah! It's be way too weird!" Katara added.

"Well sorry to burst your bubble, but you two love birds have no choice. Our parent's and the sages have decided this a long time ago and there's no arguing with tradition." Sokka explained.

"We'll see about that." Zuko stated. "When I become Fire Lord, I'll make sure that's the first thing to go."

Sokka scoffed "Please, like the water and fire sages will let you break a thousand year old tradition."

"Then I'll just banish them next time I see them." Zuko said simply. "And then I'll travel to the water tribe and do the same to your sages."

Sokka laughed sarcastically "Nice try, but only the Fire Lord and Chief have the power to do that."

"Well he is the future Fire Lord." Katara stated.

"Yeah, which means they all have to do what I tell them." Zuko nodded.

"You wish!" Sokka said. "As future Chief, I'll make sure to pass a law that says you don't set foot in my country."

"No you won't." Zuko said shaking his head defiantly. "Cause then I'll make a law that says everyone everywhere has to do what I say or I'll have my soldiers pelt them with stink bombs."

"Let heck you will!" Sokka snapped back. "And if you ask me, if you're going to rule with that type of attitude, you're going to make one pretty pathetic Fire Lord!"

"Oh yeah? That's not the way I see it!" Zuko said as he jumped onto a rock so that he towered above Sokka. _"I'm gonna be a mighty lord. So enemies watch out!"_

_"Well I've never seen a king of fire with such a wimpy shout." _Sokka said crossing his arms as Katara climbed onto the rock with Zuko.

_"The servants will cheer as I walk by. They'll bow and call me sire." _Zuko then jumped onto the stone wall and began balancing on it._ "I'll greet them graciously and with poise, while showing off my FIRE!"_ he then raised his fist high, unleashing a wave of fire around him.

_"So far this ego trip has been an incredible bore." _Sokka said pretending to yawn before realizing his sleeve was on fire.

_"Oh, I can't wait to be Fire Lord!" _Zuko then grabbed Katara's hand and together they jumped over the stone wall into the next animal exhibit.

As he hastily put out the fire on his sleeve, Sokka realized they had disappeared. Panicking, he looked quickly around before spotting them running through the GiraffeOstrich enclosure.

"AHH! Katara hold on! I'm coming!" Sokka then jumped over the wall and into the GiraffeOstrich enclosure. Seeing them run into the pond area, Sokka waded into the water and began looking among the tall grass and weeds.

"Katara! Zuko! Get out here right now before we all get in trouble!" Sokka said pulling back the reeds.

_"No one saying 'Do this!' " _Zuko said poking his head out of the reeds and prodding Sokka with a stick.

"Hey don't poke me!" Sokka shouted as he turned to grab him.

_"No one saying 'Be there!' " _Katara piped up as she used a bamboo stick to shoot rocks at Sokka.

"Knock it off!" Sokka said holding his cheek as he turned again to grab Katara.

_"No one saying 'Stop that!' " _Zuko said poking him again with the stick.

"You guys are so dead when I get a hold of you!" Sokka threatened.

_"No one saying see here"_ They said together as they disappeared back behind the reeds.

"Now see here!" Sokka tried following after them but was thrown back into the water as Zuko and Katara suddenly emerged riding on the back of two GiraffeOstrich.

_"Free to run around all day!"_ they chanted as they raced each other.

"Get back here you!" Sokka yelled.

_"Free to do it all my way!" _Zuko shouted, throwing his hands up as he rode free style.

Wanting to catch up, Sokka jumped onto another nearby GiraffeOstrich and followed after them. They had raced over the large hills and through a small thicket by the time Sokka finally caught up.

_"I think it's time for you and I to have a little chat!"_ he yelled to them before a branch smacked him in the head, sending him falling backwards.

_"Kings don't need advice from such a loudmouth pompous brat." _Zuko said snidely.

_"If this is where the monarchy is headed, count me out!" _Sokka shouted as he got up. _"Out of the palace, out of the Fire Nation! I wouldn't hang about_- Ouch!" Sokka flinched as the OstrichGiraffe nipped him hard on the shoulder _"This kid is totally completely out of his gourd!"_

_"Oh, I can't wait to be Fire Lord!" _Zuko yelled out.

He then pulled his OstrichGiraffe toward the nearest gate and made it jump over into the next enclosure which contained a group of HogMonkeys. Katara then lead her OstrichGiraffe into the opposite enclosure with contained a herd of Zebralope. The animals immediately got riled up and a few managed to brake out of their enclosures. They instantly ran amok and soon reached the petting area. All the visitors immediately became frightened and began running around in a panic while the frantic zookeepers tried desperately to round up the animals. Amidst the chaos, the gate to the HippoCow cage was knocked open and the large HippoCow let out a loud moo before slowly trotting after the herd.

Sokka meanwhile managed to climb out of the enclosure and was horrified to see all the animals running about causing havoc. He spotted Zuko and Katara running playfully among the animals and tried following after them but immediately lost sight. The kids then stopped by the snack stand and grabbed all the fruit snacks before climbing onto the roof.

_"Everybody look left!" _Zuko yelled as he threw a bunch of bananas to the left, causing the HogMonkeys to chase after it as they jump over Sokka.

_"Everybody look right!" _Katara yelled as she tossed a bushel of strawberries to right, causing the Zebralope to chase after it and run over Sokka in the process .

_"Everywhere you look I'm standing in the spotlight!" _Zuko then tossed a banana down to Sokka.

"Not yet!" Sokka said as he got up just in time for the banana to hit him in the head. Instantly all HogMonkeys jumped on him again.

_Let every bender go for broke and soar  
Let's hear it in the zoo and all the hordes  
Prince Zuko will be the greatest and more_

_"Oh I can't wait to be Fire Lord!" _Zuko said as he climbed back on his OstrichGiraffe

_"Oh he can't wait to be Fire Lord!" _Katara repeated as she also climbed on her OstrichGiraffe.

_"Oh I just can't wait!" _Zuko snapped his reigns.

_"Just can't wait!" _Katara also snapped her reigns.

_To be Fire Lord!_

The OstrichGiraffes then reared back and ran past the frenzy of animals, past the zookeepers and straight out of the zoo.

Once the dust cleared, the animals dispersed and the zookeepers were finally able to get them back in their enclosures. All that was left was the HippoCow which was sitting firmly on top of Sokka's legs.

"Will you get off me already!" Sokka cried out from under the HippoCow. "Zuko? Katara? Anyone!" Sokka then heard a squawk and looked upward to see Hawky flying over head.

"Oh thank the spirits! Hawky go get help!" Sokka called up him. Instead Hawky flew down and landed on the HippoCow's back where it started pecking at bugs.

"Ugh you stupid bird!" Sokka yelled out. Just then he spotted a red and blue dots moving quickly in the distance and realized with horror that Zuko and Katara had escaped on the OstrichGirrafes. Not only that, but they were heading straight toward the volcano.

"Oh no..." Sokka said, a panic racing through him. As he tried again to wrench himself free, the HippoCow let out a content moo and promptly farted right next to Sokka's head. Sokka let out a horrible gasp and started gagging for air before collapsing face first onto the ground in what he hoped was mud.

xXxXx

Poor Sokka lol Next stop, the pirate graveyard! OoooOoooooOooohhhh!


	5. Into the Graveyard

Happy Christmahanakwanzaa to all! :D hope you all got sum good stuff this holiday season. My present to all of you is a brand new action packed chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter 5: Into the Graveyard

After escaping from the zoo, Zuko and Katara traveled far into the valley and over the large plains on the backs of their borrowed OstrichGiraffes. Soon they came upon the volcano and spotted the small dark town that lay beside it.

"I think we should walk from here Zuko." Katara said. "The OstrichGiraffes might get spooked by the graveyard."

"Good idea." Zuko said as he dismounted the creature and tied it to a tree. Katara did the same and together they started walking down a dirt path towards the dark town.

"I can't believe we actually got this far." Katara said in amazement. "That was a pretty awesome stunt we did back there."

"Yep. I am a genius." Zuko said arrogantly.

"Genius? It was my idea!" Katara said indignantly.

"Yeah but I was the one who pulled it off." Zuko said with a smug grin.

"With me!" Katara shot back.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh yeah well…take that!" Zuko then shot fire toward the ground, setting Katara's shoe on fire.

Katara screamed and started jumping up and down on one foot as she tried stomping it out. Zuko laughed at her till she bended water from her pouch straight into his face, causing him to stumble backwards. Katara then pointed and laughed as he spit out water onto the ground.

Wiping his face, he then tackled her head on and they both began rolling around the ground. Zuko tried getting her in a headlock but Katara managed to slip out and took a fighting stance. Zuko also took a fighting stance and they began circling each other, each grinning devilishly as if daring the other to attack first.

They attacked at the same time, his fire against her water, and the collision created a cloud of steam. Zuko then charged forward and attempted to grab Katara. She however, managed to grab his arm and flipped him onto his back. She then stepped onto his chest, pinning him firmly to the ground.

"Pinned ya." Katara said with a smug triumphant look. "Now say it."

"No! Let me up!" Zuko yelled as he shoved her foot off.

As Katara walked away feeling proud of herself, Zuko tackled her from behind and together they rolled down the steep hill. By the time they reached the bottom, Zuko was once again pinned firmly to the ground with Katara on top of him.

"Pinned ya again." she said with a smug look. "Now you have to say it."

"I'm not saying it!" Zuko said defiantly.

"Say it!" Katara repeated.

Zuko sighed loudly and recited. "Katara is the best bender in the world and I eat fish guts."

Katara then smiled a satisfied smile before letting go of his arms. "Darn right you do."

Suddenly there was a loud shriek and a flock of crows suddenly appeared overhead. Katara screamed and Zuko quickly pulled her to the ground and covered her head. Once the flock dispersed, Zuko and Katara opened their eyes and were astonished to find that the crows were flying toward a large graveyard. Both of them got up and peered over the iron gates toward the endless rows of tombstones and many mausoleums.

"Whoa…" both of them said in awe. The entire graveyard seemed devoid of light and color and was covered in a thin blanket of fog. Creatures like crows and rats and other creepy critters scurried around the many cobwebs that lined the buildings.

"This is it. We made it." Zuko said in amazement.

"Wow, its all so…creepy." Katara said looking over the eerie atmosphere.

"Yeah…isn't it great?" Zuko asked excitedly. "I told you it was worth seeing."

"We could get in a lot of trouble for this." Katara said.

"I know." Zuko said with a smirk. "So?"

"So…lets go!" Katara said as she climbed over the iron fence. Zuko followed after and they started making their way through the dense fog.

Everywhere they looked there were endless paths of tombstones for buried pirates, half of which were unmarked or half dug. There was also a lot of rotting corpses and decaying skeletons that lay spread over the ground, some with broken bones, other with swords through their bodies and even a few were hanging by the neck from ropes tied to the trees.

"This has got to be the scariest, nastiest most awesome place I've ever been to in my life." Zuko said in admiration.

"Tell me about it." Katara said, jumping slightly when she stepped on a broken skull.

They soon came upon a large mausoleum which had a half faded name across the top. The door to it had broken off and was hanging by the hinges. Dried vines crawling up its side and a large pile of skulls sat neatly out in front.

"Check out that place." Katara said looking it over. "You think there's any more dead bodies inside?"

"There's only one way to know." Zuko said determinedly. "Lets go check it out."

"WRONG!"

Suddenly Zuko felt a hand grab his shoulder. Katara screamed as she felt a hand grab her as well and together they both bended their elements at their attacker. A yell went out as the person flew back and slammed against a tombstone, drenched in both water and smoking from the flames.

"Sokka!" Zuko exclaimed as he watched the older boy sit up.

Sokka waved his hands in front of his face before shooting a furious look at the two friends. "WILL YOU KNOCK IT OFF WITH THE BENDING ALREADY!"

"How in Agni's name did you find us?" Zuko asked in both shock and confusion.

"It doesn't matter how! What matters is that we are leaving right now!" Sokka said angrily grabbing Katara's hand.

"Sokka stop pulling!" Katara said trying to pry him loose.

"I don't want to hear it Katara." Sokka replied. "We are way beyond the borders of the royal city and if we don't get back now, we're all going to be in serious trouble!"

"Sound to me like the big chicken is scared." Zuko said snidely.

"Its Mr. big chicken to you smart mouth!" Sokka said poking him in the chest. "And I have every right to be scared! This town is home to some of the worst criminals in the Fire Nation! And with us being royalty, we especially are in real danger!"

"Danger? Ha!" Zuko scoffed as he walked back to the mausoleum. "I walked on the wild side. I laugh in the face of danger! HAHAHA!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Suddenly loud cackling echoed throughout the graveyard from within the mausoleum. Scared out of his wits, Zuko rushed back to Sokka and Katara who quickly hid behind a tombstone.

They then watched as three girls around their age emerged from the mausoleum. The lead girl wore a dark red outfit and had her hair up in a top knot. She also had fierce looking eyes which were only complimented by her evil smirk. The second girl to emerge wore even darker clothes and had buns in her hair. She however had a sullen if not bored look on her face. The last girl to emerge was a sharp contrast to the first two, as she wore bright pink, had her long brown hair up in a fancy braid and had a cheerful if not friendly smile.

Zuko, Katara and Sokka ducked down behind the tombstone as the lead girl gestured for the other two girls to look around. They split up and began searching behind every tombstone. Sokka looked up slightly to get a peek and came face to face with a pair of gray eyes.

"Hi!" the girl said cheerfully.

Sokka screamed and stumbled backwards till he was up against a tree, breathing heavily. Zuko and Katara looked angrily back at Sokka and felt themselves be pulled up by the their collars by the gloomy dark hair girl.

"Gotcha." the girl said throwing them firmly beside Sokka. "We found them Azula!"

"Yeah come look!" the brown hair girl said waving excitedly behind her.

The fierce looking girl then appeared and grinned evilly down at them. "Well, well, what do we have here? Do they look familiar to you Mai?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea Azula." said the sullen looking girl replied. "What do you think Ty Lee?"

The girl in pink looked at the three kids and giggled. "Well the boy in red looks familiar but those two in the blue don't look like they're from around here."

"Exactly. What we have here are a team of trespassers." Azula said clenching her fist as his ignited into blue flames.

"And quite by accident I can assure you!" Sokka piped up, his voice cracking slightly. "If you'll just let us go, I promise we won't be trespassing anymore." He then tried getting up but Mai stood in front of him and pushed him back down.

"Wait a minute, I do know them!" Ty Lee said out loud as she skipped up to Sokka. "I've seen you in the valley before. You're Chief Hakoda's son!"

"Really?" Azula said with a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Ahh no! No!" Sokka said nervously. "I only look like his son. But that's not really me, I'm a lot taller and more muscular then that guy is."

"And cuter too." Ty Lee said smiling and batting her eyelashes at him.

"He is the Water Chief's son." Mai piped up after looking closely at him. "I've seen him myself on my trips to the valley. And that girl there is his sister."

"So we have the full set here. Well isn't this my lucky day." Azula said as she took a step toward Katara.

"Leave her alone!" Zuko said standing up.

"Let me guess who you are." Azula said as she shifted her attention to Zuko. "Royally colored robes, Fire Nation armor, defiant expression, you must be-"

"Prince Zuko, the future Fire Lord!" Zuko said standing up defiantly.

"You're quite bold with your title. A little too bold if you ask me." Azula said as she began circling around him. "Do you know what we do to Fire Lords who wander outside the safety of their palaces?"

"You can't do anything to me." Zuko retorted.

"Um, actually they can." Sokka said nervously tapping Zuko on the shoulder. "After all, we are on their turf."

"But Sokka, you said these guys were nothing but stupid, dirty lowlife-!" Sokka then quickly covered Zuko's mouth before he could finish.

"Ha ha! I said no such thing" Sokka laughed off before muttering "Ex-nay on the upid-stay!"

"Who are you calling upid-stay!" Mai said angrily, whipping a small throwing knife out of her sleeve and holding it to Sokka's neck.

"Not you! Defiantly not you!" Sokka squeaked out as he inched away from the knife. "Why look at the sun, its almost dark! We better get going!" Sokka then grabbed Zuko and Katara and tried to run but Azula blocked their way.

"What the hurry pony tail?" Azula said grabbing him from behind. "Why don't you stick around for a bit? We have some pirate friends who would be most interested to meet you."

"Yeah well…the thing about that is-RUN!" Sokka then grabbed a skull and chucked it straight at Azula as the three of them ran off into the graveyard.

Azula punched the skull which burst into dust "GET THEM!"

Mai and Ty Lee instantly ran after them with Mai throwing her knives in their direction. They managed to duck the knives but then Sokka tripped one of knifes that got stuck on a tree root. He flipped over and managed to block Mai's attack with his sword as she came baring down on him. He stood up and began parrying her back but got distracted when he saw Ty Lee jump onto the branch of a tree and run along it towards Zuko and Katara. Seeing that she was aiming for Katara, Sokka took his boomerang out of his back pocket and flung it at her.

Ty Lee was about to jump down upon the two kids when she heard a whirling noise and turned to see the boomerang strike the branch she was standing on. Already dried and brittle, the branch cracked under Ty Lee's weight sending her falling to the ground.

Sokka sighed in relief but had no time to relax as Azula appeared and began shooting fireballs at him. Sokka tried parrying her back, which was made harder when she and Mai began double teaming him.

Ty Lee then appeared behind Sokka and jabbed him hard on his elbow. As he turned around to swing at her, his sword went flying out of his hand and fell to the ground. He then realized that his arm was completely limp. Ty Lee tried jabbing him again but Sokka kept weaving around her, swinging his limp arm as he did so.

"Wow, its like we're dancing!" Ty lee giggled as she twirled behind Sokka and jabbed him hard in the back. Sokka then fell to the ground, numb from the waist down, and looked up as Azula and Mai towered overhead.

xXx

Meanwhile, Zuko and Katara continued running through the graveyard till they reached the iron gates.

"I …I think we lost them." Zuko huffed as he tried catching his breath.

"Me too…" Katara said also breathing heavily. "That was close."

"Wait a sec." Zuko then looked around him. "Where's Sokka?"

Suddenly a scream rang throughout the graveyard.

"Sokka!" Katara exclaimed. She then raced back toward where they came from.

"Katara wait!" Zuko shouted as he ran after her.

Back at the mausoleum, the three girls had tied up Sokka and were hanging him upside down over a cauldron of bubbling water.

"Don't be frightened." Azula said pulling on the rope. "We're just playing a game…its called the birdie boiler. How we play is that we lower you into the cauldron and see how long it takes for you to start flapping your arms like a chicken."

"Ugh! Let me go!" Sokka shouted as he struggled to free himself.

"Ooh…poor choice of words." Azula grinned as she let the rope slip through her fingers.

"Ahh! Don't let go! Don't let go!" Sokka shouted as he plummeted toward the water. He then stopped just short of the cauldron and felt the tip of his hair get singed by the heat of the water.

"Ty Lee!" Azula shouted at the brown hair girl as she held onto the rope.

"What?" Ty lee asked. "He said not to let go."

Azula then rubbed her temples in annoyance. Just then Mai arrived from out in the graveyard. "Well? Did you find them?"

"No. I lost them at the hanging trees." Mai said in a bored tone.

"Honestly, do I have to do everything around here?" Azula exclaimed. "Well no matter. They couldn't have gotten far. At least we can do away with him." She then lit her finger and held it to the rope binding Sokka.

Suddenly something cold and sharp struck her hand, causing her flinch back. "Ouch!"

"Hey you!"

Azula then turned around and spotted Zuko and Katara with their fist raised toward her.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Zuko asked glaring back at her.

"That sounds fair." Azula smirked. "How about you?" She then did a spin kick in the air, sending a wave of blue flames shooting towards them.

Zuko stood in front of Katara and dispersed the flames before they hit. Azula then charged forward and began shooting flames out her fist which Zuko was barely able to block before sending a wave of his own at her.

"Quick get Sokka!" Zuko shouted as he lured Azula back toward the graveyard while she continued to pound on him.

Katara rushed to the cauldron and tried grabbing the rope from Ty Lee who kept backing away from her advances. As Ty lee moved, so did the rope causing Sokka to spin around and smack into branches.

"Ouch! Watch it!" Sokka cried out as another branch whacked him in the forehead.

Just then Mai appeared and began throwing knives at Katara who fell back and ran among the tombstones. Mai gave chase as Katara tried with all her might to duck the knives, almost getting cut several times.

As Azula and Zuko continued to fight at each other, Azula got more wild with her shots and ended up singeing Sokka's ropes. At first Sokka tried blowing the embers out but upon seeing them burn through the ropes, began blowing them further around his body so that he could set himself free.

Katara then got out her water pouch and began bending water which Mai skillfully avoided. Katara tried using the water whip but missed by a mile and was barely able to duck as one of Mai knives came flying at her. However, it did strike her pouch, severing it from the belt around her waist. Katara bent down to grab it but only managed to get a handful of water as Mai appeared ready to thrust another knife at her. Katara quickly reached up and grabbed her hand, freezing the knife firmly to her palm. Shocked, Mai stopped to pry the knife loose when Katara knocked her onto her back and began pounding her with water.

"Ty Lee!" Mai shouted as held up her arms defensively while water gushed around her.

Hearing her call, Ty Lee dropped the rope and ran toward Mai. Sokka had almost burned his way through ropes when he felt himself free fall.

"Wait, wait, WAIT!" Sokka shouted as he plunge toward the caldron.

Seeing him fall, Katara managed to bend the boiling water forward so that the cauldron tipped over before Sokka fell onto it. Instead he fell flat onto the ground and was finally able to break free of his ropes.

In that few seconds of distraction, Ty Lee ran up to Katara and jabbed her hard on both arms and legs so that she fell limply to the ground.

Seeing her go down, Sokka tried moving toward her but was barely able to crawl onto his knees as he still had no feeling in his limbs. "Zuko!"

Meanwhile, Zuko and Azula continued to fight each other across the graveyard, with Azula clearly having the upper hand. Zuko began to tire and knew he couldn't continue fighting for much longer.

"What wrong your highness? Can't keep up?" Azula said mockingly. "Strange but I thought you royal types would be more of a challenge."

Suddenly he heard a scream and turned to see Katara lying helpless on the ground.

"Zuko! Help Katara!" Sokka cried out, waving his limp arm in her direction.

Seeing Mai and Ty lee about to drag Katara away, Zuko tried going after them but had to duck as Azula came swinging at him with full force. She forced him away from Katara and backed him up against a tree. Azula then stood atop a tombstone as she glared down at scared prince.

"No where to run now." she said setting her hands aflame.

Zuko thought quickly to himself, and saw that the tombstone Azula was standing on was cracked. Concentrating, he kicked his blazing foot right into the tombstone breaking it in half. Azula lost her footing and stumbled backwards, giving Zuko enough time to dash past her.

While dragging Katara away, Ty lee spotted Zuko rushing toward them his hands ablaze. She instantly let go of Katara and tried to warn Mai but had to dodge as Zuko swung at them. In his haste, he whacked Mai across the face leaving a painful burn on her cheek.

"Mai! Are you alright?" Ty lee asked rushing to her friend. Mai said nothing as she clutched her injured face and watched angrily as Zuko grabbed Katara and raced out into the graveyard.

Azula quickly got back on her feet and upon seeing them run away, shouted. "Get them!"

Meanwhile, Sokka watched helplessly from the ground as the three girls chased after Zuko and Katara.

"What am I, stewed sea prunes? Wait up!" He managed to stand on his only working foot and started slowly hopping after them.

xXx

Zuko ran as fast as he could, which was hard since he was carrying Katara's limp body along with him.

"I think we lost them." Katara said looking behind them.

Zuko then stopped to catch his breath and rested behind a large tombstone while Katara kept her ears open for sounds of footsteps.

"We need to get out of this graveyard before they kill us." Zuko said peeking from behind. "Can you move any part of your body yet?"

"No..." Katara said as she attempted to move her arms to no avail. "Isn't there anything you can do to get us out of here?"

As Zuko thought to himself, he heard a clanking noise and looked over the tombstone. He was surprised to see an old man busy digging a deep grave near a large tree. Zuko then noticed a cart behind him which contained a few shovels and some body bags. Pulling the cart was black OstrichHorse which was busy nibbling at the dried grass.

"I have an idea." Zuko then threw Katara over his shoulder and managed to sneak past the old man who was too busy digging to notice. They approached the OstrichHorse which barely flinched as Zuko hoisted Katara onto its back before hopping on himself. He then undid the harness connecting him to the cart and snapped the reigns.

The thing let out a neigh and reared back, gaining the attention of the old gravedigger.

"Hey!" he shouted as the creature ran forward into the graveyard. "Come back here you thieves!" the man shouted shaking his fist.

Just then Azula, Mai and Ty Lee showed up looking around for Zuko and Katara. "You there! Have you seen a young boy in red armor carrying a girl in a blue dress?"

"Sure did! They stole my OstrichHorse and rode off in that direction!" he shouted pointing to the distance.

"What do we do now?" Mai asked.

Knowing they wouldn't be able to catch up, Azula thought quickly and got an idea when she spotted the mans cart. She then rushed forward and tossed all the shovels and body bags off before leaping onto it.

"What are you doing?" the man asked in a panic.

"Borrowing." Azula said pushing the last body bag off. "Ty Lee, you steer the wagon. Mai, keep your knives on hand. Now get on!"

The girls immediately jumped on and Azula lit her fists, blasting fire out behind her which caused the wagon to race forward. Ty lee grabbed the loose harness and began uneasily steering the wagon as it head out into the distance.

Zuko continued to ride the OstrichHorse for what felt like an eternity till he finally spotted the iron gates of the graveyard. The creature managed to jump over the gate and Zuko thought they were finally home free. Instead, the creature ran down a stone street into a dark and dingy looking town which was covered in the same eerie mist as the graveyard. Having no idea where to turn, Zuko let the animal continue on its way, hoping it was leading them on the right path out of town.

"Zuko look out!" Katara yelled.

Just then the creature let out a screech and reared to the side. Zuko grasped the reigns tight and turned to see Azula and the girls racing toward him on the wagon. Zuko snapped the reigns and urges the OstrichHorse to go faster. Mai stood up and threw a knife into the creature's back leg just as they were making a turn. The creature let out a loud neigh and stumbled forward, crashing right through the window of a small building. Zuko and Katara fell off the cretaure and onto a wooden table which broke beneath their weight.

"I think…my feeling is coming back…" Katara groaned in pain.

Zuko moaned and rubbed his head as he struggled to stand up. Once the dust cleared, he realized he was in an old bar where dozens of pirates and thieves looked at them in surprise.

"My bar!" shouted the bartender as he looked upon the wreckage. "What have you little brats done?"

The OstrichHorse let out a loud neigh and managed to hoist itself back on it feet, before charging around the bar and back out the broken window into the street. Azula, Mai and Ty lee then jumped off the cart and burst into the bar.

"Get them! They're Fire Nation royals sent to spy on us!" Azula shouted pointing at them.

"What! Royal spies?" shouted a pirate as he drew his cutlass. All the other pirates and thieves then took out their swords and closed in on Zuko and Katara.

"What do we do?" Katara asked, her eyes wide with fear.

Zuko looked around in a panic and did the first thing that came to mind.

"HYAHH!" he shouted as he punched the ground, creating a ring of fire around him and Katara.

"That's it?" Azula laughed. "You think that puny little fire ring will save you?"

The other pirates laughed as well, with one pirate tossing him beer mug onto the ground at Zuko's feet extinguishing the flames. Frightened, Zuko stepped back and kept his arms raised as he nervously moved closer to Katara.

"You're done for. But before we dispatch you, I would love to hear that weak little battle cry of yours again. I mean, wasn't it funny?" Azula asked the pirates who laughed in agreement.

Ty lee laughed as well. "Hey it was funny!" Mai simple rolled her eyes.

"Come on, do it again. Just once." Azula asked in a mocking plea.

Narrowing his eyes, Zuko took a stance and let out a loud yell. "HYAHH-"

"HHHYYYAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Suddenly a huge wave of flames burst through the door, burning it and setting some of the pirates clothes aflame. As they ran about trying to put out the fire, Iroh jumped in through the open doorway and glared at all the pirates around him.

"It's the Fire Lord! Run!" shouted the bartender. All the men immediately ran toward the exit to get away from Iroh. However, few made it through as they were chased away by Iroh who continued to bend at them. Those that managed to run out the door were immediately knocked out by Hakoda who held his club high above the doorway. Once the last guy was unconscious, Hakoda rushed in to grab Zuko and Katara just as Iroh finished bending the remaining pirates against the wall.

"Please, please don't kill us Fire Lord!" begged a pirate.

"We had no idea those kids were with you." said the scared bartender. "Those girls over there said they were spies!" he then pointing behind the bar where Azula, Mai and Ty lee hid.

Upon seeing the girls, Iroh let up on the pirates who immediately ran out of the bar and walked toward the girls who looked frighteningly up at him.

"Fire Lord Iroh!" Azula said in a fake happy tone. "What a pleasant surprise seeing you here!"

"How are things?" Mai asked, playing along. "Good I hope-"

"Silence!" Iroh shouted.

"Oh yes of course, we'll be silent!" Azula said grabbing Mai as they knelt to the floor, dragging Ty Lee with them.

"I've seen you three in the villages before. And I know what you do." Iroh glared at them. "I'm warning you three, if any of you ever go near my son again-"

"Son? Oh that nice young boy there is your son!" Azula said in mock surprise. "Well we had no idea! Did you know that Mai?"

"Nope not at all." Mai shook her head. "Ty Lee?"

"Why of course I did Mai." Ty lee said obliviously. "I told you and Azula that almost an hour ago-" Mai then clapped her hand onto Ty lees mouth while Azula glared angrily at her. She then smiled embarrassedly at Iroh. "Forgive her. She's not exactly right in the head…" she laughed nervously.

Iroh glared intimidatingly down at them and Azula quickly grabbed her friends. "Well it was nice seeing you. Toodles! Come on girls." She then pulled them after her and the three raced out the front door.

As they disappeared into the street, Sokka came hopping along at a slow pace.

"Don't…worry….I'm coming….almost…" he huffed and puffed. Finally, he collapsed in front of the bar exhausted. Hakoda rushed forward and splashed a mug of what he hoped was water onto his face.

Sokka woke up and sputtered as he looked wearily at his dad. "Mr. Foo-Foo? Is that you?"

Hakoda looked oddly at his son and shook his head as he helped Sokka to his feet. Iroh sighed in relief and then turned to Zuko who was helping Katara up. As he put her arm around over his shoulder, he noticed his dad standing before him and frowned upon seeing the stern look on his face.

Zuko then timidly approached him, attempting feebly to explain himself. "Dad...I-"

"You deliberately disobeyed me." Iroh stated looking angrily at him.

Zuko frowned and looked down in shame. "Dad, I…I'm sorry."

"Let's go home." Iroh said turning around and walking out the front door.

Zuko felt a stab of guilt as he watched his father go and sadly hoisted Katara up as he followed after him.

"I thought you were really brave." Katara said in an attempt to cheer him up. Zuko barely cracked a smile and proceeded to escort her out the door.

"Yeah well, I thought you were really stupid." Sokka spoke up as his dad walked him out the bar. "Oh hey Hawky, where you been?" he said as the bird flew down and landed on Sokka's head where he started picking things out of his hair.

Sokka giggled stupidly. "Hehe...that tickles..."

As the group made their way towards the carriage outside of town, a dark figure in a cloak emerge from a building down the street from the bar. Peering out from under his hood, Ozai watched as his nephew and the water tribe siblings walked away, slightly bruised but still alive. Angry at his seeing his flawless plan fail, he proceeded down the opposite end of the street in search of his minions, smashing in a water barrel along the way.

xXxXx


	6. He Lives in You

My first chapter of the new year :) how exciting. Btw, Happy New Year to you all. My resolution...update more often. Lets see how long that lasts :P

Chapter 6: They Live in You

It was an uncomfortable ride home in the royal carriage. Everyone sat in silence, including Zuko who glanced sadly up at his dad as he stared unblinkingly out the window, not saying a word. Upset over all the trouble he caused, Zuko shamefully adverted his eyes to the floor. Which was just as well since Sokka and Hakoda would glare angrily at him if he gave them the slightest glance. Only Katara showed him a small bit of comfort as she sat silently beside him, gently squeezing his arm when her dad and brother weren't looking.

As the sun set over the horizon, Zuko caught sight of the palace out the window and sighed. If his dad was mad, he dreaded how his mother would act once she found out where he was.

"Pull over." Iroh spoke out loud since they first started traveling.

The carriage slowed to a halt and Iroh stood up. Zuko watched curiously as Iroh stepped out of the carriage and pulled the driver out of earshot.

"What do you think they're saying?" Katara asked as she looked out the window.

"Maybe Lord Iroh's telling him to drop Zuko off in some field somewhere as punishment." Sokka said, grinning slightly before Katara elbowed him in the stomach.

"Hakoda." Iroh said as he re-entered the carriage. "Take the carriage on ahead to the palace. Tell Ursa that I have Zuko with me and we'll be late for dinner."

Hakoda looked at Iroh in surprised. "Sure Iroh but…what do I tell her if she asks where you are or what you're doing?"

"Tell her…that I am teaching my son a lesson." Iroh stated.

As he said this, Zuko nervously sank back into his seat.

Understanding his intentions, Hakoda nodded. "As you wish. I'll see you at the palace then."

Iroh then bowed to his friend and walked out of the carriage. Zuko watched as his father walked out into the grassy field, unsure of what he was planning to do.

"You best hurry up." Hakoda advised. "You don't want to upset him further."

Taking a nervous gulp, Zuko hesitantly made his way out of the carriage.

"Oh and Zuko."

Turning around, he saw Hakoda leaning out the window. "Good luck."

"Forward!" The driver then cracked a whip and the two OstrichGiraffes trotted forward.

Zuko watched as the carriage headed toward the palace and saw Katara as she appeared at the back window. She waved briefly at him while he halfheartedly waved back.

"Zuko!"

Flinching slightly at the sound of his fathers voice, Zuko turned and continued walking through the field. Though he had heard Iroh speak while angry before, it seemed a lot scarier when it directed at him.

As he walked toward Iroh, Zuko stepped into what he thought was a small hole. Looking down, he saw that he had stepped into a deep imprint his father's footprint, which was three times large then his own. Seeing just how small and puny he really was, Zuko continued to walk in silence till he came upon Iroh who was quietly meditating atop a hill.

Seeing that he was looking on ahead with his eyes closed, Zuko timidly sat beside him and crossed his legs. Iroh continued to meditate silently for a few moments before finally looking at Zuko.

"Zuko I am very disappointed in you." Iroh said to him. "Very disappointed."

"I know." Zuko replied shamefully.

"Do you realize how close you came to being killed?" Iroh asked. "It's bad enough that you deliberately disobeyed me, but even worse is that you put Sokka and Katara in danger as well!"

Zuko struggled to fight back tears but was finding it very hard. "I was just trying to be brave like you."

"I'm only brave when I have to be." Iroh explained. "You think I like fighting? You think I like putting myself and my men into dangerous situations?"

Zuko slightly shook his head and wiped his eyes. Seeing Zuko starting to cry, Iroh handed him a handkerchief.

"You know Zuko, being brave doesn't mean you go looking for trouble. It's being able to handle trouble when it comes to you. When you are able to handle your problems head on despite your own fears, that is when true bravery is revealed."

"But you're the greatest fire bender in the world!" Zuko said wiping his eyes. "You're not scared of anything!"

"I was today." Iroh admitted.

Zuko stopped crying and looked at his father in surprise. "You were?"

"Yes." Iroh nodded as he turned to his son. "I was scared…because I thought I might lose you."

"Oh" Zuko said in surprise. "Wow…I guess even Fire Lords can get scared too huh?"

Iroh nodded. Zuko then had a thought and smiled slightly. "But you know what"?

"What?" Iroh asked.

Zuko grinned. "I bet those pirates were even scareder"!

Iroh chuckled. "That's cause nobody messes with your dad. Now come here you" Iroh then grabbed Zuko and started tickling him.

"Ahh dad!" Zuko shouted as he burst into laughter. "St-stop it!"

As Zuko lay on the ground laughing, Iroh ran out into the field where Zuko began chasing after him. They ran down the hill and toward the next one when Zuko finally managed to tackled him to the ground.

"Now I got you dad!" Zuko shouted as he began tickling him.

"No please! Have mercy!" Iroh shouted between laughs.

They laughed together heartily till they ran out of breath and rolled onto their backs looking up toward the sky.

"Dad?" Zuko asked.

"Yes?" Iroh asked.

"We're pals right?"

Iroh smiled. "Right."

"And we'll always be together right?" Zuko asked.

Iroh paused as the smile on his face faded and he said nothing.

Not hearing an answer, Zuko rolled over and looked at his dad who seemed to have a concerned look on his face. "You alright dad?"

Iroh sighed. He knew this talk was coming one day. He had hoped Zuko would be older when it did but decided now was as good a time as any. Sitting up, he looked seriously at Zuko for moment before responding.

"Zuko, let me tell you something my father told me. Look at the stars." He then gestured toward the night sky which was clear and had every star in the sky shining brightly. "Not many people know this, but all the great rulers and spirits of the past look down on us from those stars."

"Wow really?" Zuko asked looking at the sky.

"Yes" Iroh answered. "So even when you feel alone, just remember that those stars are there to guide you and share their wisdom, just so long as you are willing to listen."

"I don't understand." Zuko said shaking his head.

Iroh smiled. "Then I'll show you." He then sat down in the grass in a meditative pose and gazed toward the sky. "My father showed me this when I was around your age. Just do as I do." Nodding, Zuko sat down next to him in a meditative pose.

"_Night…and the spirit of life. Calling…" _Iroh then closed his eyes. "_Just listen_."

Unsure what he was talking about, Zuko looked around him but neither saw nor heard anyone.

"_And a voice, with the fear of a child. Asking…Just listen." _

Trying to mimic his dad, Zuko closed his eyes and started listening for the voice. However, all he could hear was the sound of the wind. He tried harder, straining his ears, but still he couldn't hear anything.

_"Wait." _Iroh then placed his hand on Zuko's shoulder. _"There's no mountain too great. Hear these words and have faith. Oh…have faith." _

Starting to get impatient, Zuko tried again and really concentrated. Iroh watched out the corner of his eye as Zuko screwed up his face in concentration and chuckled.

"You should be careful." Iroh said to him. "Your face might get stuck that way."

Zuko let out a sigh and opened his eyes. "This is hard…how come the spirits won't talk to me? Are they even here?"

"Don't lose hope." Iroh advised. "Just because you can't see or hear them doesn't mean they're not there. The spirit's are all around us…even within."

_They live in you  
They live in me  
They're watching over  
Everything we see_

_In every creature  
In every star  
In your reflection  
They live in you_

Inspired by his words, Zuko tried concentrating again and focused really hard. As another breeze blew by, Zuko's face broke into a smile.

"I think I hear them dad!" Zuko said excitedly. "Yes! I defiantly heard a voice! It said…it said...uh…" Zuko then opened his eyes and frowned in disappointment. "Actually I can't really hear what they're saying…and now I lost it…"

"It's alright son." Iroh said kneeling toward him. "I didn't understand the spirits the first time either. But once you learn to really listen with all your heart and soul, their message will come in clear as a bell."

_They lives in you  
They live in me  
They're watching over  
Everything we see_

_In every creature  
In every star  
In your reflection  
They lives in you_

"As long as you keep a pure heart and mind, the spirits will always be there to guide you…and so will I." Iroh said.

Zuko smiled up at his dad and hugged him around the waist. "Thanks dad."

Iroh smiled and hugged him back. The wind then blew past and Iroh heard the spirits as they whispered into his ear. He frowned a bit, knowing they weren't pleased with his response to Zuko's question. While he hadn't lied to his son, he had withheld a certain truth from him. But for now, all that mattered was that he and Zuko were together and that he would do whatever it took to keep him safe. Gazing up at the stars, he secretly praying that they would protect and guide Zuko always, come what may.

xXxXx


	7. Be Prepared

So yeah, I saw the Avatar movie and was severely disappointed...there was no bending at all! No Aang, Sokka, Katara, none of my favorite characters were there! Just a bunch of giant smurfs in loin cloths jumping off trees and rocks and preaching about the environment! What a ripoff!

So here's my first double feature. A villain song and a chapter of my own concoction. Hope you enjoy :)

Chapter 7: Be Prepared

Back in the town of Vulcano, Azula, Mai and Ty lee were hiding out at their usual spot in the graveyard. Because of what happened earlier, a lot of the pirates were mad at them for bringing the wrath of the Fire Lord upon the town, particularly the bartender whose bar got wrecked during the fight. So to avoid punishment, and paying damages, the girls retreated to the underground catacombs of the mausoleum where they spent time recovering from their battle wounds.

"Stupid prince. Ouch." Mai grumbled as she used a wet cloth to dab at the burn on her face. "Stupid Fire Lord. I got so many burns I won't be able to sit right for a week."

Mai adjusted the mirror she set up on top of a large coffin and pulled up her pants leg, exposing a burn mark on her thigh. "Oh great…"

Ty Lee, who was sitting on top of another coffin braiding her hair, caught sight of Mai's burn mark and started to chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?" Mai asked.

Ty Lee tried stifling herself. "Oh nothing, but tell me Mai…is there some boy you have a crush on?"

"What?" Mai asked in confusion.

"Cause you seemed to have come down with a case of…hot pants!" she said laughing loudly at her own joke.

"Shut up!" Mai snapped at her. "Before I give you marks to match!"

"Calm down Mai…I don't want you burning up!" Ty lee said laughing out loud. Mai growled angrily and tackled Ty Lee off the coffin and onto the ground.

Azula, who had been sitting in the corner zapping spiders with her finger, glared at her friends in annoyance as they rolled around on the ground. "Will you two knock it off?"

When they wouldn't stop, Azula shot a fire ball which barely grazed the top of their heads. "I said knock it off." Azula repeated sternly.

Freezing in place, Mai then kicked Ty Lee to the side and dusted herself off. "Well she started it!"

"Look at yourselves!" Azula scoffed. "No wonder we're still scraping the bottom of the barrel."

"Ugh, I hate scraping." Mai said in disgust.

"Tell me about it." Azula said crossing her arms. "You know if it wasn't for Iroh and those stuff shirt royals, we'd be the ones running things around here."

"Man I hate those royal types!" Mai said angrily. "They're so pushy!"

"And stuck up." Azula said.

"And cranky." Mai added.

"And arrogant."

"And smelly!"

"And totally UGLY!" they said together as they began laughing.

"Come on guys, that's not nice." Ty Lee said.

"She's right you know."

The girls jumped at the voice and turned to see a figure stand atop the stone steps. The man then descended the steps and lowered his hood. "Surely us royals aren't all bad."

"Master Ozai!" Mai and Ty lee said together, bowing before him.

"Father!" Azula said happily running towards him.

Ozai stuck out his hand to stop her from coming close. He then looked sternly down at her. "Azula. What have I told you before?"

Azula's face fell and she slowly knelt to the ground. "Forgive me…Master Ozai. We weren't expecting you."

"Yeah, for a sec we thought you someone scarier like one of those pirates. Or Fire Lord Iroh." Ty Lee said, laughing nervously.

"I see" Ozai said stiffly.

"Please." Mai scoffed as she sat up. "He's not that scary."

"But he is!" Ty Lee said also standing up. "Just hearing his name makes me shudder."

Mai then smirked. "Iroh."

"Oooh!" Ty Lee shuddered as a chill went down her spine. "See what I mean? It's so creepy!" She then smiled. "Do it again."

"What? Iroh?" Mai asked as Ty Lee shuddered again.

"Did you say Iroh? Cause I think you said Iroh." Mai went on. "That's how you say Iroh right? Iroh?"

Ty Lee then collapsed in a fit of giggles. "Stop! It tingles!"

Ozai shook his head and rubbed his temples in agitation. "I'm surrounded by idiots"

"Will you stop it!" Azula said abruptly to them. She then turned and smiled nervously. "What they mean master is that, we think of you more as…one of us!"

"Yeah like our pal!" Ty Lee chimed in.

"Charmed." Ozai said sarcastically

"See that girls? He may not be Fire Lord but he's still proper." Azula nodded.

"No argument here." Mai said. "By the way master, did you bring us anything to eat?"

"Yeah did you?" Ty Lee asked excitedly.

Ozai glared at the girls then reached into his robes where he removed a small package.

Azula sniffed the air. "Are those the special dumplings your chef makes?"

"Dumplings?" Mai and Ty Lee rushed behind Azula and eyed the package, their mouths watering with hunger.

Ozai however held back the package and glared down at them. "You know, I don't think you three really deserve this. I practically gift wrapped those kids for you, and you couldn't even dispose of them."

The excited look on their faces disappeared and they stared shamefully at the ground.

"On the other hand…I really don't want to carry this around." He then tossed the package over their heads and onto the ground. The girls immediately rushed toward the package, tore it open and began scarfing down the meaty dumplings.

"Well you know master," Azula said through bites "It wasn't like they were alone."

"Yeah what are we supposed to do?" Mai said with a full mouth before swallowing. "Kill Iroh?"

An evil glint then appeared in Ozai eye. "Precisely."

The girls looked up in surprise and confusion before swallowing their food. "What?"

"I have a job for you three." Ozai said. "How quickly can you gather all your pirate friends together?"

xXx

In less then an hour, almost all the pirates in Vulcano had gathered within the large town square pub. Since it was late at night, most of the pirates were tired and grumbling angrily among themselves.

"Okay, what's going on here?" asked a tall pirate as he rubbed the sleep out of his patch covered eye. "Who the heck decided to hold a town meeting in the middle of the night?"

"Yeah I need to get my beauty sleep!" joked an old toothless pirate as the others laughed.

Just then Azula and the others appeared on the large wooden stage. "Attention fellow privateers. My friends and I have summon you all here tonight-"

"Hey it's those girls who caused all that commotion earlier!" shouted the bartender. "You three owe me money for all those damages you caused!"

"And you owe me a new cart!" shouted the old gravedigger. All the pirates then started shouting and were angrily shaking their fists at the girls.

"Azula say something." Mai muttered nervously to her.

Azula looked uncertainly at the crowd but kept her cool. "Look, I know we messed up but I promise we'll make it up to you all. By introducing a man who will help us out of the hole our town is in and solve all our problems."

"Oh yeah?" asked the bartender. "And just who is this great savior?"

"I believe I can answer that gentlemen." Ozai then stepped out from behind the curtains, must to the surprise of all who were there.

"What the heck?" shouted a short fat pirate. "What's he doing here?"

"Sorry to bother you all so late at night," Ozai said formally. "But it's the only time I am able to leave the palace undetected."

"And just what is a royal fancy pants like yourself doing here of all places?" asked the tall eye patched pirate.

"Oh, this town and I go back a long time." Ozai explained. "Back to when my grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, built this town as a refuge for your ancestors. He promised them food, water, and land in exchange for their loyalties and to cease all attacks on Fire Nation colonies. He took mercy on all of you, but alas, my father and older brother have not. They've been restricting your territory more and more, barring you from the bay area and valley, even cutting off your supplies so that you must scrape and salvage to survive. It's their hope that you'll either starve to death or pack up and leave."

The pirates yelled out in outrage, till Ozai held up his hand to silence them.

"I however, am more compassionate toward your kind and will uphold the promises my grandfather made. Which is why I offer you this deal. Pledge your loyalty to me and help me claim my rightful place on the throne, and I will see that you are all greatly rewarded not just with a better town...but the whole Fire Nation at your disposal."

The pirates began talking amongst themselves, intrigued by the offer but still suspicious of Ozai's motives.

"That a mighty fine offer you've made there." said the toothless pirate. "But why do you need our help exactly?"

"Allow me to explain." Ozai said as he walked across the stage. "See I never thought pirates essential, seeing as how crude and unspeakably plain you all are."

"Thanks!" said a fat pirate as he wiped his nose with his sleeve.

"But now I believe you may have a glimmer of potential, if allied with my vision and brain." Ozai then leaped off the stage and landed amongst the pirates who watched him with curiosity.

_"I know that your powers of pretension are as wet as a HogMonkey's backside. __But thick as you are… PAY ATTENTION_!" he said smacking the back of a pirates head as he tried drinking from a pint_. "My words are a matter of pride. It's clear from your vacant expressions, the lights are not all on upstairs."_ He then waved his hand in front of the clueless man's blank unblinking face before grabbing his mug._ "But we're talking Fire Lords and successions, even you can't be caught unawares!"_

He then threw the mug straight into the fireplace where it exploded upon impact, creating a large impressive display of fire.

_So prepare for the chance of a lifetime  
Be prepared for sensational news  
A shining new era  
Is tiptoeing nearer_

"And where do we feature?" Azula asked.

"_Just listen to teacher." _Ozai said patting her head. _"I know it sounds sordid, but you'll be rewarded when at last I am given my dues. And injustice deliciously squared. Be Prepared!"_

"Yeah be prepared! We'll be prepared alright!" Ty Lee excitedly before pausing. "Um, for what?"

"For the death of the Fire Lord!" Ozai declared.

"Why is he sick?" asked the short pirate.

"No fool, we're going to kill him." Ozai explained. "And Zuko too."

"Great idea! Who needs a Fire Lord?" Mai asked.

"Yeah! No Fire Lord! No Fire Lord!" the pirates started chanting.

"Idiots!" Ozai shouted. "There will be a Fire Lord!"

"But you just said that-"

"I will be Fire Lord!" Ozai exclaimed. "Stick with me and you'll never go hungry again!"

"All right!" Azula, Mai and Ty Lee cheered. "Long live the Fire Lord! Long live the Fire Lord!" Seeing what a charismatic leader he was, the pirates couldn't help but be swayed and cheered along with the girls.

"_It's great that we'll soon be connected with a Fire Lord who'll be all time adored!"_ the pirates chanted together.

"_Of course, quid pro quo, you're expected to take certain duties on board_." Ozai explained, carefully sliding a finger across his throat to illustrate his point.

_The future is littered with prizes  
And though I'm the main addressee  
The point that I must emphasize is  
You won't get a scrap without me!_

Ozai then jumped onto a chair which the pirates hoisted up and began carrying toward a large stack of crates. "_So prepare for the coup of the century! Be prepared for the murkiest scam!"_

_Meticulous planning  
Tenacity spanning  
Decades of denial  
Is simply why I'll  
_

_Be Fire Lord forever  
Respected and better!  
I'll be seen for the wonder I am_

Igniting his fist and raising them high, he unleashed a huge display of fire that formed into a Phoenix. It flew toward the ceiling where it burst into sparks.

_Yes my fists and ambitions are flared!  
Be Prepared!_

Ozai then stood up proudly on his make-shift throne looking down at the crowd who cheered and applauded him, especially Azula , Mai and Ty Lee.

"_Yes our fists and ambitions are flared!" _they shouted, raising their fists and cutlasses together.

"_Be Prepared!" _Ozai declared, laughing evilly along with everyone in the pub.

"You have our support Lord Ozai!" declared the lead pirate. "We're behind you one hundred percent!"

"Excellent." Ozai nodded, tapping his long fingernails together.

"So what will you have us do first uh, master?" asked a fat pirate.

"For now, wait for my signal." Ozai commanded. "I will give the order to move once my plan has been put into motion."

"And what of us, Master?" Azula asked bowing before him. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

Ozai looked upon the girls and smiled. "Actually…I have a special task in mind for you three…"

xXxXx


	8. Pranks and Punishment

Chapter 8: Pranks and Promises

Sokka paced nervously outside the royal war room, waiting for when his dad and the Fire Lord would finally emerge. Neither one had spoken to him since they arrived at the palace and Sokka was sure they were furious with him for letting Zuko and Katara sneak off into the pirate town.

"Oh man, I'm dead. I just know it." Sokka muttered to himself as he paced back and forth chewing his nails. From the side ledge, Hawky watched as Sokka paced and squawked at him while beating his wings.

"Oh zip it Hawky!" Sokka snapped at him. "If you had delivered my message to the Fire Lord on time we wouldn't be in this mess!"

Hawky then squawked louder and took off into the air, flying briefly over Sokka to give him a good hard peck on the head.

"Ouch!" Sokka yelled grabbed his head. "Come back here you stupid bird or I'll-"

Suddenly the doors open and Sokka felt his heart leap into his throat. Quickly turning around, he watched nervously as his dad emerged from the room looking solemn.

"Sokka." Hakoda said grimly. "The Fire Lord would like a word with you."

Sokka gulped nervously and began shaking as he entered the room. It was a large and intimidating looking chamber with long rows of tables that lead toward a large throne area. There, he saw Fire Lord Iroh standing with his back to them, staring intently at the fire.

"Um…you wanted to see me sir?" Sokka asked timidly.

Iroh looked up and turned to Sokka with a serious look on his face. "Yes Sokka…I wanted to say that today's events have upset me quite a bit. I trusted you to watch my son and keep him safe…and you failed."

Sokka stared shamefully at his hands as Iroh approached, looming over him. "I am really disappointed in you Sokka."

"We all are." Hakoda said crossing his arms. "Especially Lady Ursa."

Sokka looked up fearfully. "Lady Ursa? She knows too!" He then starting nervously chewing his nail before asking. "Was she…upset?"

"Oh very. She was besides herself with worry." Iroh said shaking his head. "In fact, she was so upset that she never wants you watching the kids again…and demands your immediate banishment."

"WHAT!" Sokka shouted in a panic. "Banishment?"

"She wants all three of us banished!" Hakoda said angrily. "I had to use all the money we had left to rent a used sailboat back home."

"But, but, but…I did the best I could to protect Zuko and Katara!" Sokka tried explaining. "I followed them to the town! I fought off those pirate girls! I even sent Hawky with the message telling you where we were! Doesn't that count for anything?"

"I'm afraid its too late." Iroh shook his head. "You and your family are banished for life. And to add to your punishment, we demand that you wear this."

Iroh then pulled a frilly pink tutu out of his robes. Sokka blinked twice. "Is that a tutu? Why am I-"

"So that everyone knows of your shame and dishonor!" Iroh declared as he dropped the tutu into Sokka's hands.

Sokka stared open mouth at the tutu "But, but, but, but, but-"

"You heard the man Sokka." Hakoda said. "Now suit up!"

Sokka fell dramatically to his knees. "NOOOOOO! Why! Why?"

As Sokka sobbed loudly into the pink frills, Iroh and Hakoda glanced at each others and burst out laughing.

"What the-? Why are you laughing? This isn't funny!" Sokka shouted, starting to get steamed.

"Sokka relax." Hakoda said putting his hand on his back. "It was a joke."

Sokka paused and looked up at his dad in confusion. "A joke?"

"Sorry Sokka, but we couldn't resist." Iroh said chuckling heartily.

"A joke?…. A joke!" Sokka said, feeling his nerves rattling. "Haha, it was a joke! HahahaHAHA!"

"You okay there son?" Hakoda asked looking at him oddly.

"Yeah yeah! I'm fine!" Sokka said, his voice cracking. "Great one your majesty! Great one! I can see why it was funny! HahahahahahaHAA!" After hyperventilating a bit, Sokka then passed out on the floor.

"Is he alright?" Iroh asked looking over in concern.

"He's fine. Just a bit overanxious" Hakoda smiled as he looked at the unconscious Sokka. "Just like Kya was when we used to play tricks on her."

"Oh yes. If I remember correctly, she used to faint like that too." Iroh chuckled.

Picking Sokka up in his arms, Hakoda and Iroh left the war room and headed down the hallway.

"So how'd the talk go with Zuko?" Hakoda asked. "Were you hard on him?"

"Not exactly." Iroh said. "We had a fatherly heart to heart chat, I talked about the spirits and simply explained what he did wrong."

"So…he's not getting punished?" Hakoda asked.

"Oh no, he's defiantly getting punished. Ursa saw to that." Iroh said. "By next months time, he'll have every square inch of his room memorized."

Hakoda chuckled. "Leave it to the mom to be the bad guy."

"Still…I must admit, there are times where Zuko worries me." Iroh admitted. "I feel like he is growing up too fast. He wants to do all these things I know he is not ready for."

"Well he is at that age." Hakoda said shifting Sokka's to his other arm. "Katara's starting to act the same way. But eventually they'll catch up with themselves. "

Iroh shook his head. "Before, all I had to worry about was him setting the drapes on fire. Now…he's off causing commotions, sneaking off to places he shouldn't be, putting himself and his friends in danger…"

"Now doesn't that sounds familiar?" Hakoda said, looking at his friend with an ironic smirk. "Kind of reminds me of this kid I knew who would drag me through Geyser Gulch and play a games of exploding snap within a glass shop before making me race him up to the top of the volcano."

Remembering all their adventures together, Iroh laughed heartily. "Hakoda my old friend. You know me too well…perhaps I am worried over nothing."

"Zuko's a strong kid. And so is Katara." Hakoda agreed. "And if they managed to get through today, then they can get through anything."

"You're right. After all, we were in similar dangers and managed to survive." Iroh said.

"Speak for yourself." Hakoda scoffed. "I still have that scar on my butt from when we fell in that rattlesnake pit."

The two friends laughed together till they heard Sokka starting to murmur to himself. "No…pirates…all around me…gotta fight off those monkeys…don't wanna play in the birdy boiler …"

Hakoda and Iroh looked at each other and snickered.

"You know I almost lost it when you mentioned the tutu." Hakoda grinned.

"You weren't the only one." Iroh said as they continued down the hallway while Sokka mumbled something about a flying pink ballerina.

xXx

That night, Zuko sat alone in his room staring out the bedroom window. As he predicted, his mother was not too happy about him sneaking off to the pirate town and had decided to start off his punishment by sending him to bed without supper. So while everyone else in the palace enjoyed a hearty meal, Zuko stared up at the night sky trying to ignore his growling stomach.

"This stinks…" Zuko said, pressing his forehead against the window pane. He then heard a loud gurgling noise and groaned. "Shut up stomach!"

Suddenly he heard a loud knock at the door. Thinking it was one of his servants possibly bringing food, Zuko yelled out. "Come in!"

To his surprise and slight disappointment, the door opened revealing not his servants, but Katara.

"Hey." she greeted.

"Hey." Zuko said. "What are you doing here? I thought your dad grounded you?"

"He did." Katara said shutting the door behind her. "But I heard you also got sent to bed without supper so I thought I'd share." She then reached into her pockets and took out a bag of leechy nuts, fire flakes and two peppermint sticks.

"Whoa where'd you get those from?" Zuko asked moving away from the window.

"I grabbed them while we were at that food stand in the zoo. Figured we could eat them as a snack later." Katara said sitting on the ground and handing him a peppermint stick.

"Way to think ahead." Zuko nodded as he took the peppermint stick and sat across from her. Spreading out their snacks, they began feasting on their sugary meal.

"So…how long are you grounded for?" Zuko asked, taking another bite from his peppermint stick.

"Two weeks, and I'm not allowed to leave the palace grounds without an adult." Katara said eating a leechy nut. "You?"

"Four weeks, and I'm not allowed to leave my room without an adult." Zuko sighed.

"That's rough." Katara said as she ate a few fire flakes.

"So was your dad mad?" Zuko asked.

"Oh yeah, he was mad alright." Katara nodded. "And he's gonna be even madder when he sees my pouch." She then held up her water pouch which was missing its lower half.

"What happened?" Zuko asked looking at the severed pouch.

"That girl with the knives is what happened." Katara said bitterly. "Can't believe it...one of the only two things I got from my mom by and now its ruined..."

"Well…you can always get a new one. At least you still have her necklace." Zuko said.

"Yeah…" Katara said, touching the blue stone necklace that she always wore. "But it still stinks. My mom gave me that pouch cause she wanted me to become a great waterbender, like the ones up north."

"And you will be." Zuko said swallowing some fire flakes. "You've been doing good so far."

Katara then paused for a moment and looked seriously at Zuko. "Listen Zuko...there's something I gotta tell you…while me and my dad were talking earlier, he mentioned something about…sending me to the north to learn water bending."

"That doesn't sound too bad." Zuko said eating a handful of fire flakes. "Least you won't have to go to school."

"Actually...he wants me to go next summer."

Zuko nearly choked on his fire flakes. "What! Next summer?"

"Yeah. After what happened today, dad thinks its more important then ever that I learn water bending." Katara explained. "And maybe he's right. There's still a lot I need to learn and if it takes a couple of summers-"

"A couple of summers!" Zuko stood up and looked at Katara in panic. "No! Is he crazy? Look if its an apology your dad wants I'll give it to him!"

"Zuko, I-"

"I'll apologize to Sokka too. I'll even apologize to your entire tribe till I'm blue in the face-"

"Zuko!" Katara shouted grabbing him around the collar. "Would you listen for a sec? I WANT to go!"

Zuko stopped and looked at Katara in shock. "You…want to go?"

"You know how long and hard I've been training to master water bending." Katara explained. "And since there's no other water benders in my tribe, its been even more difficult for me to learn on my own. Going to the north is my best shot."

"I see…" Zuko said, a bitter note in his voice.

"It's not like I'll be gone forever." Katara said trying to be optimistic. "Only for a few summers, just till I master the more complicated stuff-"

"Why cant you make them come here instead?" Zuko interrupted angrily. "I barely see you as it is, its not fair!"

"Zuko, try to understand…"

"Oh I understand alright!" Zuko snapped. "You'd rather spend time splashing around on ice caps then spend summers with me! Well if that's how you feel then just go!"

"Zuko!" Katara shouted. "That's not at all-"

"I said go Katara! And don't let the door hit you on your way out!" Zuko said turning around and crossing his arms.

A look of hurt on her face, Katara stared sadly at the ground. "Fine. I'll go then." She then stood up and walked toward the door, pausing to look back at Zuko. "I should've known you'd act this way. Stupid of me to think my best friend would want what's best for me."

As soon as she slammed the door, Zuko felt an instant stab of guilt. He turned toward the door but all he saw was the leftover snacks she brought him littered on the ground. Instantly his guilt increased and he immediately ran off after her.

"Katara wait!" Zuko called down the hall. Katara stopped at the end of the hallway and glared angrily at Zuko as he ran toward her.

"What?" Katara asked snidely. "Forgot to say something else mean and hurtful?"

"Look I'm...sorry okay?" Zuko said trying to be sincere. "I didn't mean what I said...I was angry and...I don't want us to spend our last summer together fighting. So...forgive me?"

Katara looked at him skeptically, unsure whether to believe him. "I guess..."

"Good...cause I want to show you something." Zuko said walking past her. "Follow me."

"Follow you?" Katara asked in disbelief. "Yeah right! The last time I did that, I almost got gutted by pirates! Besides, we're supposed to be grounded remember?"

"I know that!…Look just trust me okay?" Zuko asked extending his hand. "Please?"

Katara looked at him with hesitation. Even though she knew she shouldn't, her curiosity was too great and she took his hand as he pulled her down the hallway.

xXx

After going down a few hallways and ducking the guards, they finally emerged in a small courtyard where the Kyoshi warriors had finished their training and were getting ready to retire for the night. Zuko and Katara waited till all the girls left before walking toward the middle of the courtyard where a circular pattern was engraved into the ground.

Igniting his fist, Zuko pressed his knuckles into the middle circle, causing the floor around them to sink in and retreat, revealing a set of stairs.

"Where does this lead to?" Katara asked looking down the dark staircase.

"The Dragon Bone Catacombs." Zuko said excitedly. "Only the royal family and sages are allowed here. Come on!" He then grabbed her hand and lead her down the spiral stairs. They soon emerged into a long hallway which contained pictures of past Fire Lords. The last picture at the end featured Fire Lord Iroh, which Zuko stopped in front of.

"I want to show you something. Something I was never supposed to tell anyone outside my family about." Zuko explained. "But you have to swear to keep it a secret."

"Okay, I swear." Katara said.

"Pinky swear it." Zuko said holding up his pinky finger.

Katara held up her hand and looped her pinky with Zuko's. "I pinky swear to never tell anyone what I've seen here or may I be tossed into the great divide and be eaten by ScorpionLizards."

Satisfied, Zuko reached towards the painting and pressed a Fire Nation symbol on the bottom frame, which caused the painting to sink into the wall and shift to one side.

They walked into the hidden passage toward a secret room and what Katara saw made her jaw drop. Inside the hidden area was a large room filled with shelves, featuring various types of gold, jewels, antiques, crowns, royal artifacts and many other exquisite items.

"What is this place?" Katara asked in awe.

"My dad's personal treasury." Zuko said walking around a large golden soongi horn. "When he was younger he used to travel all over the world and collect items from the other nations."

Zuko then guided Katara over to a corner which was richly decorated with blue drapes and items containing water tribe symbols.

"Wow, authentic water scrolls from the northern tribe." Katara said in amazement as she looked at a large shelf full of scrolls.

"Everything in this corner is from dads trips to the northern and southern tribes. Including this." Zuko then reached up and grabbed an item off the top shelf.

Katara gasped, "A water pouch! May I?" Zuko nodded and handed it to her. Katara looked excitedly over the pouch which was layered with blue satin and gold trim and decorated with tiny sapphires. "Wow, it looks just like my old one. But better!"

"I thought you'd like it." Zuko said. "It should come in handy when you learn waterbending."

Katara looked at Zuko in surprise. "Wait, you're giving this to me? But it's your dads."

"I'm not giving it to you, just lending it." Zuko said. "Just till you get your own. Then you can come back here and I'll help you return it."

Katara looked at Zuko skeptically. "Zuko are only lending this to me so that I have to come back here and see you?"

"No!" Zuko said before pausing. "Maybe…I just don't want you getting in trouble with your dad is all..."

Katara looked inquisitively at him and smiled. "Thanks Zuko." She then wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug.

"Yeah...sure." Although he and Katara were best friends, Zuko felt weird having her hug him like that and stood awkwardly with his arms out. "Okay...you can let go now." Zuko said trying nudge her off.

Katara let go and looked over her pouch excitedly. "I can't wait to try this out. You're sure this is alright? Won't you get in trouble?"

"Wouldn't be the first time." Zuko shrugged. "Besides, I want you to get better so the next time we fight, I can beat you."

"In your dreams" Katara grinned. "You need at least ten years to have a chance against me."

"Perhaps." Zuko said. "But I guess I can wait if you can."

"Think everything will be the same between us though?" Katara asked. "Seems like such a long time till then..."

"Course it will." Zuko said. "We're the best of friends and the best upcoming benders in our countries...what could happen?"

xXxXx

And so ends the peace before the storm. Next chapter, STAMPEDE! Stay tuned!


	9. Stampede!

And now we come to the second most traumatizing scene in my childhood...Enjoy! :P

Chapter 9: Stampede!

Nearly two weeks had passed since the pirate incident and the time had come for Iroh to make his annual trip to the Earth Kingdom. Thanks to King Bumi, Iroh was allowed to keep his herds of prize wining OstrichMink on Earth Kingdom farms which were cared for by local farmers. The largest farms were located near the Great Divide, the largest canyon in the Earth Kingdom.

"As you can see Fire Lord, the herds are doing quite well this year." Pointed out the farmer as he led a large OstrichMink out of its stable. "By the next full moon, we'll be able to shave them down and ship their fur to the factories."

"Excellent." Iroh nodded as he petted the OstrichMink. "They will make splendid coats for the townsfolk during the winter months."

"Or for your best friend on his up coming birthday." Hakoda said coyly, admiring the OstrichMink.

"You're right...but I think Bumi has a OstrichMink coat already." Iroh said jokingly.

Hakoda elbowed him playfully and they proceeded into the barn where more OstrichMink were kept.

Behind them, Sokka was dragging his feet and groaning. "Dad this is boring...why can't I stay back at country house with Katara and Zuko?"

"Because learning about farming is always a good thing to know, especially when you become chief." Hakoda said. "Besides, Katara and Zuko are still grounded and are probably having as much fun as you are right now."

"But can't I do something else while you and Iroh look at the herds?" Sokka asked.

"You could continue training with Hawky." Hakoda suggested, gesturing to the bird who was pecking at bugs on the ground.

"That stupid bird?" Sokka asked. "What's the point? He doesn't do anything I say!" Hawky stopped pecking at bugs, looked up at Sokka and promptly pooped on his shoe.

"Yuck!" Sokka yelled as he grabbed a rag and started cleaning his shoe. "It's not fair! Why'd you give me the only bird that doesn't take orders?"

"Sokka, he doesn't take orders because you haven't taught him how yet." Hakoda said. He then reached into his pocket and tossed a bag of meaty treats to Sokka. "Give him another chance. Start with something small like picking up a branch. I'll be over here with Iroh."

Sokka looked uncertainly at his dad then walked toward Hawky. "Come on Hawky. Let's go do some training."

Hawky looked up and shook his head before going back to pecking at bugs. Sokka sighed and held up a large treat. "Come on Hawky! Come get the treat!" Seeing the meaty treat, Hawky flew into the air and chased after Sokka as he ran out of the barn and towards the field with the treat in his hand.

xXx

While Iroh and Hakoda continued to check out the farms, Zuko and Ozai were making their way down into the Divide. Although Zuko was grounded, Ozai managed to convince Ursa to let him take Zuko for a walk on the grounds that he'd watch him. They had walked a good way till they had descended into the Divide where the sun didn't shine as bright and a cooling shadow covered the canyon.

"Ah here we are." Ozai said looking up at the high cliffs. "Now Zuko, I want you to wait right here."

"Why?" Zuko asked as Ozai lifted him onto a large rock. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Not far." Ozai said. "Just going to find your father...don't tell him I said this, but he asked me to bring you out here. He has a marvelous surprise in store for you."

"Really?" Zuko asked excitedly. "What is it?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be surprise now would it?" Ozai asked.

"If you tell me, I'll still act surprised." Zuko said slyly.

Ozai chuckled. "Oh, you are a naughty boy."

"Come one Uncle Ozai, tell me." Zuko pleaded.

"Oh no, no, no." Ozai shook his head. "This is just between you and your daddy. It's a sort of father-son…thing...well, I better go get him," Ozai said as he began to walk away.

"I'll go with you," Zuko said as he jumped off to follow him.

"No!" Ozai said quickly. "I mean, no just…stay here on this rock." He then lifting Zuko back onto the rock, much to his disappointment. "You wouldn't want to end up in another mess like you did with the pirates would you?"

"You know about that?" Zuko asked.

"Zuko, everybody knows about that." Ozai stated.

"Really?" Zuko asked, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, yes." Ozai nodded. "Lucky your daddy was there to save you though. Oh and, just between us my dear nephew, you might want to work on that little battle cry of yours."

"Oh…okay." Zuko said, feeling self conscious. Satisfied, Ozai turned to leave.

"Hey, Uncle Ozai!" Zuko called out. "Will I like the surprise?"

Ozai paused and looked at his nephew "Zuko…it's to die for."

Feeling more excited then before, Zuko sat on the rock and began waiting patiently for his dad while Ozai walked away, an evil grin on his face.

xXx

High above the cliffs where Zuko was waiting, a large herd of Baboofallo stood around contently grazing. On the far side of the field, the herder sat in wheelbarrow snoozing away while Azula, Mai and Ty Lee snuck past him.

Thanks to Ozai, the girls were able to hide in the ship ride over and sneak onto land, where they stealthily followed Iroh through all the farm areas till they found the one closest to the divide.

"Man…look at all those Baboofallo." Mai said staring out from behind a haystack. "They're so large and hairy and smelly."

"You got that right." Ty lee said holding her nose.

Mai then got an idea. "Hey Ty Lee, you wanna play target practice? The winner gets to eat the Baboofallo she she knocks out."

"Ew, you want to eat those things?" Ty lee asked looking at the large creatures with disgust.

"Hey I haven't eaten since we left okay? A bundle of twigs looks good to me right now." Mai said taking a knife out of her sleeve. "Besides just look at them…all that juicy meat. Bet you I can nail that one between the eyes-"

"Don't you dare!" Azula said, grabbing Mai's wrist. "Nobody is attacking anything!"

"Come on Azula, can't I just pick off one of the little ones?" Mai pleaded.

"No!" Azula shouted. "We stay here and wait for the signal from Ozai."

"Hey what's that?" Ty Lee asked as she squinted into the distance.

All three girls looked up and saw a small flare from a nearby cliff. Upon closer inspection, they saw Ozai lighting up his fist, signaling that it was time.

"There he is." Azula grinned. "Let's go."

xXx

"What's taking so long?" Zuko wondered out loud.

Ten minutes had passed and Zuko was growing bored. After staring off into the divide, he started pacing on top of the rock talking to himself.

"Can't believe Uncle Ozai thinks my battle cry is weak...I can shout better then any other warrior!"

Just then he heard a croaking noise and turned to see a Horned Bullfrog hopping beneath the rock. Seeing an opportunity, Zuko jumped off the rock and began following the Bullfrog.

"Hyahh!" Zuko shouted, thrusting his fist at the Bullfrog, who paid no attention whatsoever.

Zuko then walked around it and thrust his fist at it again. "Hyyyaahhhh!"

The Bullfrog looked at him for a moment then continued to hope along. Determined to intimidate the creature, Zuko took a deep breath, concentrated and spun around before shooting a small fire ball right near the bullfrog. "HYYYYYYYYYYAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Feeling the heat, the Bullfrog let out a loud frightened croak and quickly hopped away into the canyon. Zuko grinned proudly as his battle cry echoed throughout the canyon walls.

Suddenly Zuko felt the ground beneath him start to shake and heard a loud roar from above. He looked upwards where a large flock of birds were quickly flying away and spotted a large heard of animals as they busted through a wooden fence. A stampede of Baboofallo charged straight down into the divide and were heading in Zuko's direction.

Zuko's eyes widened in horror and he immediately took off running into the divide. The stampeding herd followed close behind, frightened and trying desperately to escape from Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee who burned, slashed and punched the Baboofallo unmercifully. The girls finally stopped when the last ones disappeared over the cliff side and stood at the edge watching as Zuko tried desperately to escape the stampede. Azula smiled evilly while Ty Lee looked slightly worried. Mai on the other hand, smiled contently as she took another bite off the barbecued leg of a Baboofallo.

xXx

On the other side of the Divide, Iroh and Hakoda were walking to the next farm when they heard a low rumbling and noticed clouds of dust coming from the far side of the Divide.

"Look at that." Hakoda said raising his hand above his eyes. "Must be an avalanche or something."

"That's odd," Iroh said trying to better look.

Suddenly Ozai ran up to them with a panicked look on his face. "Iroh, come quick! There's a stampede in the Divide. Zuko's down there!"

"Zuko?" Iroh asked shocked. "No!" Immediately he ran toward the Divide followed closely by Hakoda and Ozai. They quickly passed by Sokka who was training Hawky to pick up sticks.

"Good job Hawky." Sokka said, petting Hawkys head as it dropped some twigs into his hand. "Now go pick up that bundle- Dad, where you going?" Sokka asked as they ran by.

"Zuko's in danger! Head back to the country house!" Hakoda shouted back to him as he continued running toward the gorge.

"Danger!" Sokka exclaimed. Wanting to do something to help, Sokka motioned to Hawky who sat on his shoulder. "Look I know you don't like listening to me but this is important Hawky. Go find Zuko!" He then lifted his arm up and Hawky took off into the sky towards the Divide with Sokka close behind.

xXx

Down in Divide, Zuko was trying desperately to outrun the stampeding Baboofallo. The herd soon caught up with him and he had to maneuver between the large beasts as they jumped and stumbled over each. In last ditch attempt, Zuko managed to jump up and grab onto a low hanging branch of a nearby tree. However, the branch was weak and shook violently as Zuko struggled to hang on.

Suddenly he heard a screeching noise and spotted Hawky dive down from the sky. The bird flew around Zuko and then toward a nearby ledge where Sokka appeared. Thanks to Hawky, Sokka spotted Zuko dangling below and jumped to the lower ledge to get closer.

"Sokka help me!" Zuko cried out.

"Your dad is on his way! Hold on!" Sokka shouted.

"Hurry!" Zuko shouted back as he felt the branch shake more and more.

Iroh, Hakoda and Ozai then appeared on the opposite ledge and looked desperately around for a sign of Zuko.

"Dad! Iroh! Down there!" Sokka shouted to them, pointed down from the ledge. "On that tree!"

Iroh spotted Zuko hanging from the branch and gasped in panic "Hold on, Zuko!"

Just then a Baboofullo knocked into the tree, causing it tilt over and lower Zuko closer to the ground.

"HELP!" Zuko cried out as he felt his hands starting to slip.

Seeing no other alternative, Iroh jumped down into the divide and began running amongst the stampede toward Zuko.

"I'm gonna head them off at the side." Hakoda said to Sokka. "Get back to the town and get help!" He ran alongside the cliff towards the front of the stampede.

"Oh this is awful!" Sokka cried out as he watched Iroh run against the Baboofallo. "I gotta get some help! I gotta-" Sokka was then cut off as Ozai whacked him in the back of the head with a branch, causing him to fall unconsciously to the ground. Just then Hawky let out a screech and flew toward Ozai, where he began roughly pecking at him. Ozai batted him away and smacked the bird hard against a wall, where it too fell unconscious.

Down in the divide, Iroh struggled to get past the stampede which rampaged around him, knocking him from side to side and roughly to the ground. He kept his eye on Zuko and gasped when he saw a Baboofallo run right into the tree, causing it to break in half. Zuko was flung off the branch and into the air where he almost fell into the stampede. Luckily, Iroh jumped up and managed to grab Zuko around the waist.

"Dad!" Zuko shouted in relief.

"Hold on, I'll get us out of here!" As Iroh looked around for a way out, he heard a whistling noise and looked up toward a ledge where Hakoda was waving at him.

"Iroh over here!" he shouted before throwing a long rope down. Iroh made his way over and started climbing up the rope while Zuko held on around Iroh's neck.

As Hakoda watched them climb up, he heard movement behind him and turned to see what it was.

"You!"

xXx

Iroh had almost climbed the rope halfway when he felt it come loose and eventually snap. Both fell to the ground where Zuko was flung off Iroh's back and into the middle of the stampede. Zuko struggled to stand up and watched fearfully as the stampede began closing in around him. Before a Baboofallo could run over him, Iroh grabbed Zuko out of the way and dragged him toward a ledge that was just low enough for them to climb on to. Iroh managed to push Zuko on but before he could climb on himself, his sleeve got caught on a Baboofallo's horn and he was swept back into the stampede.

"DAD!" Zuko yelled out as he watched his dad disappear into the chaos. Jumping up into a tall ledge, Zuko scanned the stampede for a sign of his dad, hoping that he hadn't been trampled.

Suddenly there was a large burst of flame from further down and Iroh leaped up out of the stampede. The flames carried him high to the side of a rocky wall and he managed to grab on before putting his flames out. Zuko let out a sigh of relief and began climbing up the rocks to the ledge to meet up with his dad.

As Iroh struggled to get to the top of the ledge, he felt a shadow fall over him and saw Ozai standing overhead.

"Ozai!" Iroh cried out as he felt his grip on the rocks slipping. "Brother please...help me!"

Ozai looked down upon Iroh silently for a moment and waited for him to grab onto the edge of the cliff. Then without warning, Ozai slammed his hands down and dug his long fingernails deep onto Iroh hands. Iroh let out a painful scream and looked fearfully up at his brother, who smiled wickedly before uttering his final lie.

"Long live the king."

And with that, Ozai shoved Iroh off the cliff side. Further down, Zuko was climbing up the rocks when he heard a loud scream and turned to see his father plummeting toward the ground.

"NOOOOOO!" Zuko screamed, his eyes wide with horror as he watched his father fall and disappear beneath the stampede.

xXxXx

Cliff Hanger! Well, not really...next chapter up within the week.


	10. Tragedy and Loss

As usual, Im late with updates (so much for new year resolution :P). Sorry but the excitement of the superbowl kinda took up most of my weekend (go saints!), not to mention all the snow thats been pounding my area lately. But I managed to get the chapter done and I took a rather bold risk as well. Hope you guys dont hate me too much for it. So without further ado, the conclusion of our 'cliff hanger'.

Chapter 10: Tragedy and Loss

Zuko climbed down the cliff as fast as he could, jumping onto the ground just as the last of the stampeding Baboofallo disappeared into the canyon.

"Dad!" Zuko called out.

Clouds of dust and dirt filled the divide, clouding Zuko's vision. Still, he continued on looking for a sign of his father.

"Dad! Where are you?" No one responded and Zuko was starting to get scared. Suddenly he heard footsteps approaching.

"Dad?" Zuko quickly turned around.

Instead, a small Baboofallo appeared and galloped toward Zuko as it struggled to catch up with the rest of the herd. As it ran around Zuko and off into the divide, it jumped over something large that lay on the ground. Upon closer inspection, Zuko realized it was Iroh.

"Dad!" Zuko shouted as he rushed to his fathers side.

Seeing him up close, Zuko felt his heart stop. Iroh wasn't moving or breathing. Instead he layed flat on his back, his eyes closed, his hair askew and dozens of hoof prints covered his body as well as his crown which was knocked loose.

"D…dad?" Zuko asked nervously. Iroh did not response.

"Dad come on." Zuko put a hand on his shoulder and shook him. "You gotta get up…DAD!" Zuko shook him harder but the Fire Lord did not move. "Come on, we gotta go home!" He then got behind Iroh and tried hoisting him up by his shoulders. Instead, Iroh fell limply between his arms and back to the ground.

Realizing that his dad was not going to get up, Zuko began to hyperventilate and backed away in a panic. He then ran out into the canyon and started looking around.

"HELP!" Zuko called out into the vast emptiness. "SOMEBODY PLEASE!" But the only answer he got were the echoes of his own voice.

"Somebody! Anybody…" Zuko choked out as his eyes filled with tears. "Help…" Unable to hold back, Zuko started to cry and fell to his knees as he buried his face in his hands, his sobs echoing throughout the canyon.

As tears ran down his face, Zuko made his way to his fathers side. He couldn't believe that his dad, the greatest fire bender in the world, was dead. No longer would they play together or take walks around the Fire Nation. No longer would he hear his dad laugh and give him advice when he needed it. Feeling like he lost a part of himself, Zuko knelt beside Iroh and sobbed onto his chest.

From the clouds of dust, Ozai appeared looking sternly over at his young nephew. Although he was angry that Zuko had managed to survive the stampede, he had one last plan for getting rid of the boy.

"Zuko?" Ozai called as he approached the boy.

Zuko looked up and spotted his Uncle Ozai as he emerged from the dust. Ozai looked over Iroh as if seeing him for the first time and stared at Zuko in shock. "Zuko…what have you done?"

Zuko stood up and backed away from Iroh. "It was the Baboofullo and…he tried to save me. It was an accident, I didn't mean for it to happen!" He pleaded through tears.

"No, of course you didn't. Come here" Ozai said extending his arms. Zuko leaned against his uncle and began to cry onto his robes.

"There, there. I understand." Ozai said patting his back. "It's not like you meant for this to happen…but the sad fact is Zuko, that the Fire Lord is dead." Ozai stated. "And if it weren't for you, he'd still be alive."

Zuko looked up at Ozai as he realized what he was saying. Ozai frowned and looked worriedly at Zuko. "Oh dear…what will your mother think?"

Zuko's eyes widened in terror as he realized the reality of the situation. Everyone would soon find out about the stampede and his fathers death, and not only would he have to tell them what happened, but he'd have to tell them how it happened. How he had caused the stampede which lead to his fathers death…which made him a murderer.

"What am I gonna do?" he asked through tears.

"Run Zuko." Ozai advised, slowly pushing him away. "Run…run away and never return."

Seeing no other alternative, Zuko nodded and hugged his father for one final time before running off into the canyon. Ozai watched as he ran off, a small slimy smile creeping across his face.

Azula, Mai and Ty Lee then appeared behind him, having watched the whole thing from the cliff. Ty Lee gasped upon seeing Irohs body but Mai elbowed her and glared at her to stay quiet.

"What are your orders master?" Azula asked as she watched Zuko run off.

Ozai stared straight ahead. "Kill him."

Her fists ablaze, Azula smiled and took off after Zuko with Mai close behind. Ty Lee however, hesitated and glanced over at the lifeless body of Iroh.

"Ty lee!" Ozai shouted at her. "Move!"

Afraid of her masters wrath, Ty Lee took off into the canyon after Azula and Mai. Ozai waited till Ty Lee had gone and knelt down beside Iroh. He then undid the pin from Iroh's top knot and took the crown off of his head.

"At last…it's my turn now." Ozai said, holding up the crown with a greedy look in his eye.

xXx

Zuko ran as fast as he could through the divide, only stopping briefly to catch his breath. Suddenly he felt a something whiz past his head and saw a knife embed itself into the rock. Looking behind him, Zuko spotted Mai as she jumped over a rock and pulled another knife out of her sleeve. Following close behind her was Azula who was shooting fire blasts at him.

Both girls launched their attacks simultaneously but Zuko managed to deflect them with a wave of fire from his arm. He then shot his own fire blast at the cliff above him, which caused a rock slide between him and the girls.

As they tried finding a way around the rocks, Zuko ran into the narrower part of the divide and while running through the twists and turns, tripped and fell over what he thought was a large root. Looking back, he gasped in horror when he realized it was a person he had tripped over.

"Chief Hakoda!" Zuko yelled in horror. And sure enough, the person laying face down on the ground was Hakoda, silent and stiff as a board.

Before Zuko had time to react, Azula appeared and shot another fireball at him. Zuko took off running but Azula soon caught up and took a swipe at his head. Zuko ducked and spun around, kicking Azula's feet out from under her and causing her to fall to the ground. Zuko then ran as fast as he could toward the end of the narrow canyon till he came upon a large cliff. Seeing no other way out, he climbed painstakingly up the steep sharp rocks.

Upon reaching the top, Zuko tried finding an escape route, but he could only find a steep downward hill ahead of him with thorn bushes lining the bottom. Before he had time to react, Ty Lee appeared out of no where and surprised him. With a quick jab, she was able to paralyze his right arm. She was then forced back as Zuko sent a wave of fire at her with his other good arm. Mai then emerged from the cliff and came running at Zuko with her knife. Zuko managed to grab her wrist and flip her around before pinning her arm firmly to her back.

"Let go of me!" she shouted, elbowing him in the stomach. Zuko doubled over and let go of Mai who jumped away. Ty Lee then ran up to Zuko and did a quick jab to his other arm, rendering both his arms useless.

Suddenly Azula appeared and did a high spinning jump kick right into Zuko's head. Her foot, which was burning hot with blue flames, collided painfully with the left side of his face, sending him falling backwards down the steep hill. Zuko rolled roughly down the slope and fell off the edge into the large patch of thorns bushes.

Partially paralyzed and in excruciating pain, Zuko struggled among the thorns, flinching painfully as his left eye bled heavily. Looking upward with his good eye, he saw the girls in hot pursuit sliding down the hill toward him.

Seeing no other escape route, Zuko began making his way through the thorns which poked and pierced him at every angle, even whacking him in the face and further injuring his already mangled eye.

As Azula slid down the hill, she spotted the patch of thorn bushes down below and dug her heels into the ground. She managed to stop just short of the edge, but was almost knocked over as Ty Lee rammed into her from behind.

"Watch it!" Azula yelled at her. "You almost made me fall-"

"Look out!" Just then Mai came zipping down the hill, knocking Azula off the edge and into the thorn bushes.

Azula let out a scream and thrashed among the thorns while Mai and Ty Lee watched and snickered to each other. Getting mad, Azula shot a burst of flames and propelled herself up to the ledge. Mai and Ty Lee then watched in amusement as Azula climbed back up, covered in scratches and thorns.

"Why didn't you help!" she shouted at the both of them.

"Sorry Azula." Mai said innocently. "Didn't cross our minds."

Azula grimaced "Well did you at least see where Zuko went?" She then began yanking thorns out of her clothes, flinching with every pull.

"Oh look, there he goes! There he goes Azula!" Ty Lee pointed in the distance as Zuko emerged from the thorns and ran off into the vast plains.

"Go after him!" Azula commanded as she ripped more thorns out of her arm.

"Are you crazy?" Mai responded. "There's no way I'm going in there!"

"You'll go because I said so!" Azula shouted staring Mai down.

"Oh so I can come out looking like you? Cactus butt?" Mai snapped back. Azula glared angrily and ripped out a bunch of thorns from her thigh which she then flung at Mai, striking her hand.

"Ouch!" Mai yelped holding her hand. She turned angrily to Azula "You nasty little b-"

"Guys stop fighting!" Ty Lee pleaded. "Zuko's getting away! And if we don't finish the job, Master Ozai will be furious!"

"What does it matter? He's as good as dead out there anyway," Mai pointed out. "All that lies beyond the plains is an endless stretch of dessert with no town or settlements for miles."

Azula yanked more thorns out and got tenderly to her feet. "As much as I hate to admit it, Mai is right. He's way too far ahead. If anything he'll die of thirst or injury once he's in the dessert."

"But…what if he doesn't?" Ty Lee asked. "What if he manages to find his way back to the Imperial City?"

"After what happened today, he won't dare show his face near the Fire Nation again." Azula stated as she held her arm. "And if he does decide to come back, we'll simply kill him…you hear that ZuZu?" Azula shouted out to him. "If you ever come back, we'll kill you!"

Azula then laughed to herself and turned around to begin climbing back up the hill. Mai followed after her along with Ty Lee, who looked uncertainly in the distance as Zuko disappeared into the horizon.

xXx

Nearly an hour had passed since Zuko escaped from the divide and he was still in immense pain. His eye continued to bleed, his arms were barely functional and he was covered in a number of cuts, bruises and thorns.

Just as he was coming up on the dessert, Zuko spotted a small river and stumbled toward it, using what little strength he had left in his arms to wash out his eye. Once he stopped the bleeding, he began painstakingly plucking every thorn from out of his wounds.

When he was done, Zuko glanced at his reflection in the water and gasped in shock. The charred flesh around his eye was bright red with traces of black, making him look grotesques and deformed. Zuko looked away in shame and shut his eyes as tears began running down his cheek. Now he truly was a monster, inside and out. He could never again return home to the Fire Nation or see his mother or Katara or anyone else for as long as he lived. If he did, they would find out what he done and hate him forever as a murderer. He'd rather give up his bending then let that happen.

And to prove to himself that he was never going back, Zuko grabbed a sharp rock from the river side and cut off his top knot, officially severing his ties to Fire Nation. He then let his hair fall into the river and watched as it washed away down stream.

Taking a long fern leaf and tying it around his head like an eye patch, Zuko got to his feet and began following the river downstream. He had no idea where it lead but figured it would lead to civilization eventually. And once there, he would start his life over again, away from the Fire Nation and away from his horrid past.

That was the plan anyway, and it didn't make him feel any better.

xXx

News of the stampede spread quickly throughout the nations. Many were in shock and saddened over the deaths of the Fire Lord, prince and Water Chief. Others, mostly those in the Water Tribe and Fire Nation, were outraged at the untimely death of their leaders and demanded to know who was responsible.

The funeral took place shortly afterward and people from all over gathered within the Imperial Pride Palace courtyard to pay their final respects. As per tradition, all the mourners wore white and held lilies which they laid at the foot of the palace steps. Sitting atop a large platform were two coffin with Fire Nation symbols on them along the royal family portrait of Iroh and Zuko that sat between them.

"And so we gather here today to mourn the loss of our beloved Fire Lord and prince, whose lives were tragically cut short." announced a fire sage as he spoke to the crowd. "May the spirits of Agni watch over them and keep them in our thoughts for all time." The mourners bowed their heads, some wiping their eyes while other sobbed out loud into their hands or sleeves. In the front row, Ursa wept into her handkerchief which was soaked from all her tears. Sokka, who wore a bandage around his head and had his arm in a sling, put a comforting hand on her shoulder as he too shed a tear. Sitting next to him, Katara also was crying into a handkerchief as she looked sadly at the coffin and picture of her best friend, who she would never see again.

"And now Ozai, our new Fire Lord, would like to say a few words on behalf of his brother and nephew." The fire sage then stepped away as Ozai approached the podium. The new Fire Lord was dressed regally in royal robes like Iroh's along with the Fire Nation crown which sat atop his head, gleaming brightly in the sunlight. Ozai looked down upon the crowd, appearing sad yet strangely composed.

"Friends, citizens of the Fire Nation." Ozai began. "Iroh's death was a terrible tragedy…but to lose Zuko, who had just barely began to live…for me it is a deep, personal loss. And so…it is with a heavy heart that I now assume the Fire Nation throne. I promise to use my new power to make sure that those responsible for my brother and nephew's deaths will be brought to justice." Ozai declared. "And with that, out of the ashes of this horrible tragedy, we shall rise to greet the dawning of a new era."

Suddenly the mourners let out a loud shout and pointed toward the gates where pirates were entering into the courtyard, some even climbing in from over the walls. The pirates then surrounded all the mourners and began menacing them with their weapons while they cowered in confusion and fear.

"What is the meaning of this?" Ursa stood up angrily.

"Calm yourself Ursa." Ozai said as Azula, Mai and Ty lee joined him next to the podium. "They are all here with me."

Ozai then stepped out from behind the podium to address everyone. "For my first degree as Fire Lord, I hereby declare that all pirates within the Fire Nation are pardoned from any and all wrongdoings. I do this so that all members of the Fire Nation, both royalty, commoner and pirate, will come together help strengthen our nation and create a great and glorious future!"

The pirates then cheered and raised their weapons high as all the guests looked around in fear.

"And now, if you'll follow my pirate companions here, they will escort you all to the banquet hall for the after funeral dinner." Ozai then snapped his fingers and the pirates began nudging all the guests toward the palace.

Ursa stormed up to Ozai in outrage. "You can't do this! These people are vile and so are you for allowing them to be here! Iroh would have never allowed this!"

"Iroh isn't here anymore. And you best watch your tongue Ursa." Ozai warned. "Less I banish you from this palace and this nation."

Ursa looked at Ozai in shock. "You can't do that."

Ozai leaned down. "Try me."

Stunned and at a loss for words, Ursa ran back to the palace as a bunch of wily pirates gawked and whistled after her.

Ozai then made his way down the stairs and walked toward Sokka and Katara who stood off to the side eyeing all the pirates nervously.

"I understand that your fathers body is being sent back to the Water Tribe for the funeral." Ozai said. "While I am sorry for your loss, I'm afraid that you two will not be joining him on the ship back."

"What!" Sokka shouted. "What do you mean we're not? Our tribe is expecting us, we need to get back to the Water Tribe right away!"

"I'm afraid not." Ozai said. "For you see, your father left behind in his will that if anything should happen to him, you both are to be placed in the custody of the Fire Lord."

"We were supposed to be placed with Iroh!" Sokka stated. "And nothing in the will said we weren't allowed to go back home!"

"That is true." Ozai nodded. "But since Iroh is now deceased and I am the reigning Fire Lord, that makes me your legal guardian. And as such, I rule that you will both stay here within the Imperial Pride Palace until you both are of legal age."

"You can't do that!" Katara shouted. "You can't keep us here, our tribe won't allow it!"

"They'll have to…unless they want a war on their hands." Ozai threatened. "And if I remember correctly, the Southern Tribe's forces aren't nearly as large as that of the Fire Nation's. It'd be a shame if their numbers were made smaller."

Sokka and Katara were stunned and looked anxiously at each other before bowing their heads in defeat.

"That's what I thought. But don't worry. I'll make sure your stay here at the palace is more then adequate… Mai, Ty Lee." Ozai turned to the girls. "Please escort these two back to their rooms."

The girls nodded and got on both sides of Sokka and Katara as they escorted them toward the palace.

"You've done it father." Azula smiled up at him. "The Fire Nation is finally under your control and we are finally free to do as we please."

"Yes…" Ozai nodded. "But its not enough. I may have the most powerful nation within the palm of my hand, but there's more to be gained. Much more…"

"What do you mean?" Azula asked.

"Now that I am in charge, we need to start working on expanding our nation." Ozai looked out to the horizon. "It'll be easy enough to blame the Earth Kingdom for Iroh's demise and to rally the citizens into declaring war against them. And with the Water Tribe brats in my care, the Southern Tribe wouldn't dare attack us or assist the Earth Kingdom. Once they're both out of the way, we can focus our attention on the Northern Tribe and Air Nomads. The time has come to make the Fire Nation…into a global empire."

As the pirates began scaring away all the funeral guests, King Bumi stood atop a small balcony and watched sadly as the events unfolded. For the first time in his long life, the Earth King did not want to oversee the traditions that his order had longed preserved. Instead, he quietly made his way back to his ship before anyone noticed he was gone.

xXx

Later that night, Bumi returned home to his palace in a depressed state. Not only were two of his good friends dead, but now the threat of war would soon be upon his people. Though he knew nothing of Ozai's plan, Bumi could tell that the inexperienced royal was going to make a lot of rash decisions in his first couple of years and would attempt to foolishly reach beyond his normal boundaries.

Bumi then entered his study and walked up to the Fire Nation family tree. He looked sadly at the picture of his friend Iroh and the newly updated photo of Zuko.

Bumi shook his head sadly "Prince Zuko…you had so much promise…"

He then took down the picture of Zuko and crossed an X over the empty spot. Bumi then reluctantly put the picture inside a small scrap book and placed it high on a shelf, where he would probably never see it again.

xXxXx

'sobs' darn Ozai :( like i said, hope you all dont hate me too much. Next chapter, we get to meet our two favorite sidekicks...in bender form :) stay tuned!


	11. I say Hakuna!

Aha April Fools :P hope u all enjoyed my random chapter and sry if you were annoyed by the intentional spelling errors and butchering of the english language. I always wanted to make a parody of those terrible fanfics that feature mary sues and character steryotypes and so forth. call this a personal treat for me as well as all of you, to see just how badly i can write when i try :P

Once again i apologize for the long wait. Combanations of heavy school work, a frustrating job search, numerous snow storms and other annoying obligations have caused me to push back my chapter time and time again. Luckily I finally managed to finish it and even split the chapters into two, rigoriously re-writing each section twice til I was satisfied. So without further ado, heres the hakuna matata you all waited for. :) hope you all like it

xXx

Chapter 11: I say Hakuna!

Zuko awoke with a start. Weird dreams had plagued his mind that night, mostly nightmares involving people he knew and people he didn't. He assumed they were the result of his lack of proper nutrition over the last few days and shook his head as they were quickly forgotten.

For nearly two weeks, Zuko followed the river through vast plains and forests and over mountains, until finally he reached the sea. There he discovered the town of Great Forks, a large fishing settlement which sat at the mouth of a great river that split off into a dozen smaller ones.

Finding the main road, Zuko stumbled weakly into town and began looking around for a place to rest. Not many people were around as it was a fishing day and most of its residents were out at sea. The only one who was out and about was the local cabbage merchant, who was trying desperately to sell his cart full of cabbages.

"Cabbages! Fresh green cabbages!" he called out, pushing his cart along. Spotting Zuko coming toward him, he grabbed a cabbage and put on a big smile. "You there young man. Want to buy a cabbage?"

Zuko however, was so weak from hunger, injury and exhaustion that he collapsed right in the middle of the road.

The cabbage merchant's face fell and he rushed to the boys side. "Hey kid, are you okay?" He bent down and shook Zuko's shoulder but the young boy didn't move.

"Oh my goodness!" The cabbage merchant said anxiously. "I got to go find help!"

"I think you mean you need help!"

Suddenly a group of bandits appeared behind him, their swords and chains drawn as they stood intimidatingly around him. A tall mustached bandit then stepped forward and held his sword to the cabbage merchant's throat. "Put your hands in the air old man."

"Old!" he said indignantly as a scrawny red headed bandit grabbed him from behind and bound his hands with rope.

"We'll be taking your cart now...along with your profits." said the tall bandit as he walked over to the cart and grabbed a large bag of coins.

A large fat bandit then grabbed two large heads of cabbage and began juggling them in the air. "Neat! Check me out guys. Who knew cabbages were good for juggling?"

"And they're tasty too!" said a red headed bandit as he bite off a chunk of cabbage. "We have enough here to last a month. We should throw a banquet!"

"NOO! My cabbages!" yelled the merchant as he struggled under the thick ropes.

"Quiet you!" the tall bandit yelled, yanking the rope back.

As the men began helping themselves to the cabbages, a small rock flew out of nowhere and nailed the tall bandit hard in the back of the head.

"OUCH!" he screamed as he stumbled forward and dropped the rope. The cabbage merchant used the opportunity to scuttle away and disappeared into a nearby alley before the others noticed.

"You okay there boss?" asked the bearded bandit as he helped him up.

The tall bandit stood up and grimaced in anger "Who's the dead man that threw that!"

As he turned around to look for the culprit, he noticed Zuko who still lay unconscious on the ground.

"Where'd this kid come from?" Looking over the cart, the bandits saw where Zuko lay and walked over to him. One of the bandits nudged Zuko with his foot but the boy didn't move.

"Little guy's passed out." said a bearded bandit. "Looks like a lost traveler."

"Traveler eh?" said the tall bandit, turning to the men on either side "Search his pockets, maybe he has something of value on him."

The bandits knelt down and began searching through Zuko's pockets.

"Nothing boss. His pockets are completely empty." said the red headed bandit.

"Then take that fancy armor of his. That might bring some silver pieces." said the tall bandit.

As the men started to undo Zuko's shoulder pads, another small rock flew out of nowhere and hit the red headed bandit on the side of his head.

"Ouch!" he yelled, staring angrily at the fat bandit. "What's the big idea!"

"Hey I didn't do anything- ouch!" the fat bandit screamed as he too got pelted with a rock. "Where's that coming from?"

Just then they then heard a deep purring noise coming from behind them. Looking back at the cart, they spotted a small pointy eared white lemur sitting on top of the cabbage cart, munching contently on a small cabbage.

"Hey, isn't that one of those flying lemurs they have up in the Air Nomad temples?" asked the red headed bandit. "They're supposed to be rare aren't they?"

"They sure are." the tall bandit said, looking at the lemur greedily. "You two stop what your doing and go capture that lemur."

"Sure thing boss." said the bearded bandit as he left Zuko's side and got up to go catch the lemur. The lemur screeched and hissed as the bearded bandit drew near and bit him hard on the thumb.

"OUCH!" he screamed holding his hand.

The lemur stretched out his bat wings and tried flying away but was caught in mid air by the red haired bandits chain.

"Gotcha." he smirked as the poor lemur struggled desperately. "You'll fetch a hefty price on the black market."

Suddenly there was a loud whistling noise and the bandits turned to see a whole barrage of rocks flying straight toward them.

"Take cover!" yelled the tall bandit as he and others ducked from the oncoming rocks. Each of them got pelted numerous times but the red haired bandit kept his grip on the screeching lemur.

"Alright, enough!" the tall bandit yelled out, withdrawing his sword. "Whoever the rock thrower is, show yourself now!"

"That would be me you dumb lugs."

Just then a small barefoot girl wearing green and brown clothes stepped out from behind a barrel and stood in the middle of the alley.

"That's my lemur you're trying to steal." she stated, her pale green eyes glaring at them from behind her long black bangs. "Now leave him alone before I whoop your sorry butts!"

The tall bandit laughed upon seeing the small girl and scoffed "Beat it kid. We don't have time for silly games."

"Did someone say games?" Suddenly a small bald headed boy in orange and yellow clothes leaped up from behind a row of barrels and stood on top.

"I love games! Let's play tag!" With a flick of his wrists, the boy created a ball of air which he jumped on top of. He then quickly a zipping around the group of bandits, playfully whacking each of them in the back of the head.

"Hey what the-OW!" yelled the tall bandit as the boy whacked him behind the head.

"Tag! You're it!" he laughed merrily as the bandits chased him around, knocking into each other as they did so.

The tall bandit rubbed his head and glared angrily at them. "You'll pay for that."

The boy then landed next to the girl who took an aggressive fighting stance. "Listen up you brutes. Release my lemur now or suffer my wrath!"

"Make that both our wraths!" said the boy also taking a fighting stance.

"Two small brats beating us?" the tall bandit asked skeptically. "Don't make us laugh."

"What you gonna do girly? Throw more rocks at us?" taunted the red haired bandit.

"If you insist." the girl then slammed her hands into the ground and pulled out two gigantic boulder. The bandits immediately stopped laughing and dove out of the way as the boulder flew straight at them, nailing one in the gut and sending him flying backwards into a row of barrels.

"Now who wants some?" the girl yelled, motioning them to come forward.

"Get them!" the tall bandit commanded. All the bandits stood back up with their weapons drawn and charged forward. Waiting till they were just close enough, the two kids reared back and unleashed blasts of air and earth, sending the men flying in all directions along with their weapons.

As the men lay on the ground groaning on pain, they felt their arms and legs sink into the ground so they couldn't move. The bald headed boy then freed the lemur from the chain, which showed it gratitude by jumping onto his shoulder and furiously licking his cheek.

Meanwhile the dark haired girl grabbed the bags of money that hung from the bandits belts.

"I'll take that," she said, swiping three small bags of money from the dazed bandits. She then went to the tall bandit and grabbed the cabbage merchants money bag as he struggled to get free.

"I swear you'll pay for-Mmph!" the bandit was cut off as a the girl stuffed a chunk of dirty cabbage into his mouth.

"Next time, think twice before you mess with 'two little brats'." She then kicked dirt in his face and walked away, leaving the bandit coughing and squeezing his eyes painfully.

The girl made her way to the partner, where they high fived each other. "Great job Aang."

"You too Toph." the boy nodded. "I love it when we get to mess with bandits."

"I love it even more when we get money for it." Toph said, holding up the bags of coins which she dropped into Aang's hands. As he began counting up the silver and copper coins, Toph found the cart and began counting up the cabbages. "Alright, we hit the mother load! Time to stock up!" She then began stuffing cabbages down her shirt while Momo began putting cabbages into a small reed basket. "Aang come help me!"

"Just a sec." said Aang as he went through the money bags. Counting up the amount, he took out just enough silver coins to fill two sacks and filled the third one halfway, adding a beaded necklace from his pocket to it as well.

As he finished tying up the last bag, Aang heard a moaning noise and looked down the road where Zuko still lay passed out on the ground. Setting down the money bags, Aang walked up to the boy and put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to wince slightly. Zuko looked up slightly, glancing at Aang all bleary eyed before collapsing back onto the ground.

"What's the hold up over there?" Toph asked stuffing yet another cabbage down her shirt.

"Toph, I think you better get over here." Aang called out. "There's a kid who looks pretty hurt."

"Kid?" Toph asked as a bunch of cabbages fell out of her shirt. She then walked over to Aang as he knelt beside Zuko. "What's wrong with him?"

"Look's like he crawled out of the swamps and into a batch of thorns." Aang said holding up his arm which was covered in dirt and had traces of leaves stuck to it. Momo then flew over to Zuko and began sniffing him while tugging on his collar.

"Relax Momo, I got it." He then slid his hands under Zuko's chest and carefully flipped him onto his back. Aang's eyes widened as he saw just how bad Zuko looked. His once red clothes were now stained brown with dirt and mud, with traces of sticks and leaves tangled into Zuko's matted hair. His face was covered in dirt and scratches and old flesh wounds along his arms and legs were freshly bleeding. The most shocking however was his left eye, which although mostly covered by a large leaf, had swelled up and become grossly discolored.

"Whoa...forget what I said. Look's like he crawled out a swamp, ran through some thorn bushes and dove head first into a heard of Platapusbears!" Aang said dramatically.

"That bad huh?" Toph asked. She then knelt down and felt the ground next to Zuko. Even though she was blind, Toph had a keen sense for detecting heartbeats and movement through the ground which was further increased by her earth bending.

"Well he's still alive which is good." Toph said. "Let me check his breathing." As she felt around his armor for his chest, Toph paused and quickly withdrew her hand.

"What is it?" Aang asked.

"You didn't say he was Fire Nation!" Toph said moving away from Zuko.

"What!" Aang exclaimed. "How can you tell?"

"What did you become blind too? I felt the symbol on his armor!" Toph said pointing to the middle of his chest. Aang looked over and wiped off the mud that had solidified into the front crest of his armor. Upon seeing the Fire Nation symbol, Aang began to sweat and also backed away. "Oh that's not good…"

"How'd a kid from the Fire Nation get out here?" Toph asked standing up.

"He must've come with those soldiers we saw a few days ago." Aang said nervously. "Remember the ones that attacked those ships near Inga Island?"

"Oh yeah." Toph nodded, looking anxiously around. "In that case, I think we better go before one them shows up looking for him."

"But we can't just leave him alone. He's too badly hurt. And I think there's something seriously wrong with his eye.." Aang said glancing at Zukos eye patch leaf which had begun to bleed through. Out of curiosity, he lifted it up slightly to take a peep but instantly recoiled back in disgust. "Oh yuck! There's defiantly something wrong with his eye."

"Well we can't stay." Toph pointed out. "Let's just drop him off at a healer and-"

"This way! Quickly!"

The two friends looked up in a panic and spotted some Earth Kingdom guards as they appeared at the end of the alley, along with the cabbage merchant who had managed to break free of his ropes.

"Over there! That's where the bandits robbed me!" he said pointing in Aang and Toph's direction.

"No time! We gotta go now!" Aang said in a panic.

"You grab the money and cabbages. I'll get the kid." Toph said. Aang nodded and grabbed the money bags while Momo grabbed the basket of carriages. Very carefully, Toph hoisted Zuko up and over her shoulders and together they ran off into a nearby alley, disappearing into town before the guards arrived.

"There!" The cabbage merchant yelled, pointing to the bandits that were still stuck in the ground. "Those are the men who robbed me! Arrest them!"

The head guard walked over to the tall bandit and pulled the chunk of cabbage out of his mouth. "You're under arrest for theft and property damage. Start digging them out men!"

As the bandits were dug out and lead away in cuffs, the cabbage merchant gazed in horror at all the cabbages that littered the ground. "My cabbages! Oh what have they done to you babies?" He then began picking them up one by one, putting them back into his cart and holding each one lovingly against his cheek.

He had almost finished gathering his cabbages when he spotted the bag of money Aang left behind.

"My money bag! But, it's only half full!" As he opened it, he was amazed to see among the copper and silver pieces, a white beaded necklace. Lifting it out of the bag, the light from the sun reflected off them every color of the rainbow.

"I don't believe it…I can buy hundreds of new cabbages now! Woohoo!" the cabbage merchant exclaimed happily, jumping up and down in excitement.

xXx

Aang and Toph carried Zuko all the way across town and into the forest, not stopping until they came upon a small clearing near the stream.

"Here Momo." Aang said putting the money bags into the cabbage basket. "Take these back to the hideout. We'll meet you and Appa there later." Momo let out a loud chirp and flew off into the woods.

"Okay so now what do we do?" Toph asked propping Zuko's head on a rock. "We must be at least a mile away from the nearest healer now."

"We do have that medical kit we hid nearby." Aang pointed out.

"Oh right." Toph suddenly remembered. She then walked to the river toward a large boulder which she bended out of the ground and onto a flat surface.

Aang grabbed the small medical kit hidden beneath and brought it over Zuko. "Ok so I guess I'll start with his arms and-"

"First things first." Toph interrupted. "You gotta clean that eye of his. I could feel it bleeding against my shoulder."

Aang looked down at Zuko's bloody patch covered eye and cringed. "Do I have to? Can't you do it?"

"That's right, leave the eye treatment to the blind girl." Toph said sarcastically, shoving a cloth in his hand. "Now hurry before he wakes up."

Aang looked down and cringed again. "This is so gross.." Squeamishly, he reached toward Zuko's face and carefully peeled back the leaf covering his injured eye. Seeing the charred bloody flesh that covered his eye, Aang tried hard not to vomit and dabbed at it with a wet cloth till all the blood had wiped off. He then replaced his patch with dry one, taking special care to wrap it comfortably around Zuko's head. He then finished bandaging the rest of Zuko's wounds and immediately rushed to the nearby stream.

"Gross, gross, gross!" Aang said squeamishly as he started furiously scrubbed his hands.

"Come on, it couldn't have been that bad." Toph said.

"Says you!" Aang said, glaring back at her. "So what do we do with him now?"

"Wake him up of course." Toph said. She then walked toward the thicket and grabbed a handful of smelly ragweed which she waved under Zuko's nose.

Thanks to the pungent odor, Zuko started to stir and moaned as he slowly opened his eyes. At first all he saw were blurry shapes, but slowly his vision came into focus as he stared up at a girl with short black hair and pale green eyes, and a bald headed boy with a blue arrow on his forehead.

"Hey kid. You okay there?" asked Toph looking down on him.

"I think so," Zuko replied woozily shaking his head. "What happened? Who are you?"

"My names Toph. We found you lying passed out in road and I saved you," Toph said proudly.

"Hey!" Aang said indignantly.

"Oh and this is Aang. He helped a bit," Toph said casually as Aang glared at her.

Zuko tried sitting up but flinched and touched his pounding forehead. "Uh, my head…"

"You should take it easy. You almost died out there." Aang said putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks for your help." Zuko said as he got woozily to his feet and started walking away.

"Where you going?" Toph asked.

"Nowhere…" Zuko replied as he trudged on.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Aang asked.

"Don't know." Zuko replied not bothering to stop.

Toph and Aang watched uncertainly as Zuko weakly made his way into the woods.

"Is it just me, or is that kid really blue?" Toph asked.

"But his clothes are red." Aang said.

Toph slapped her head. "I mean he's depressed."

"Oh." Aang said, his cheeks turning red. "I knew that."

"Well we can't let him go aimless into the forest like that."

Toph then ran forward and stood in Zuko's path. "Come on kid spill. What's eating you?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Zuko said walking around her only to run into Aang.

"Where're you from?" Aang asked as he followed closely. "Somewhere in the Fire Nation right? How'd you get here? Are you lost? What happened to your eye?"

Zuko stopped and glared at Aang "You ask too many questions. Besides it doesn't matter where I'm from, cause I can't go back." Zuko motioned to walk around Aang but suddenly became dizzy and stumbled against a tree.

Concern, Aang grabbed Zuko's arm and lead him over to a rock where he sat down. "If you want, Toph and I will go back to town and look for your folks."

Zuko closed his eyes painfully. "I'm by myself. Just give me a few minutes to clear my head."

As stared at the ground rubbing his temples, Toph gasped in realization. "Ohhh…I see now."

"You can?" Aang turned in shock.

Toph shot Aang a glare. "I meant I get it now. He's not lost, he's a runaway."

"Oh!" Aang said in realization. "Hey that means your just like us!"

"I'm not like you." Zuko said glancing sideways at him. "I'm just...a little lost..."

"In that case why don't you stay with us? At least until your better-" Aang was then cut off as Toph clamped her hand over his mouth.

"Aha ha...would you give us a second?" Toph asked sheepishly as she dragged Aang away much to Zuko's confusion.

Toph dragged Aang behind where he wrenched her hand off of his mouth. "What'd you do that for?"

"Are you out of your bald-headed mind?" Toph shouted at him. "We can't keep a Fire Nation kid! What if those soldiers we saw come around here looking for him? They'll discover us instead and we'll be thrown in jail!"

"But if he's on our side, maybe they won't bother us." Aang explained. "Besides he could really use a home right now. And who knows, maybe we can find a use for him."

"Yeah right, like that's gonna-" Toph then paused and thought it over. "Actually, if we did have that kid on our side, the Fire Nation soldiers wouldn't bother us and we can use him to do stuff!"

"I just said that!" Aang said.

"Come on let's go ask him." Toph said walking towards him.

They then approached Zuko who was still clutching his head in pain. Aang grabbed a spare rag from his pocket and dipped in the water before handing it to Zuko who pressed it against his head. "Thank you."

Aang smiled sympathetically and sat next to him. "You don't have to be ashamed you know. Toph and I are runaways too. We ran away from the orphanage after they tried splitting us up. Now we travel all over the Earth Kingdom and go on adventures together."

"That's great, but I'm not running away to go on any adventures." Zuko said.

"Then why are you running away?" Toph asked sitting next to him. "Do something bad?"

Zuko paused, unsure as to what to tell them, but he decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. "Yeah…something terrible...but I really don't want to talk about it."

"Fine…didn't wanna know anyway." Toph said, crossing her arms.

"Come on Toph, be nice." Aang said. "Is there anything we can do to help you at least feel better?"

"Not unless you can change the past." Zuko replied sadly.

"No we can't, but I can give ya come helpful advice." Aang said put an arm around Zuko's shoulders. "At times like this, the monks from my temple would usually tell me something like 'You gotta put your behind in the past.'"

"No, no, no!" Toph interrupted standing between them. "Twinkletoes, go lie down before you hurt yourself." she said waving him away as she turned to Zuko. "What Aang meant to say was 'You gotta put your past BEHIND you.'" She said, emphasizing the word as she glanced at an embarrassed Aang.

"What does that mean?" Zuko asked skeptically.

"See it's like this." Toph explained standing in front of him. "Bad things happens, and you can't do a thing about it, right?"

"Right." Zuko nodded.

"WRONG!" Toph shouted poking him hard in the chest. "When the world turns it's back on you, you turn your back on the world!"

"Ouch!" Zuko groaned holding his chest. "Well that's…that's not what I was taught."

"Then maybe you need a new lesson." Toph stated. "And I'm just the girl for the job. Now repeat after me." She then cleared her throat. "Hakuna matata."

"What?" Zuko said in confusion.

"Ha-kuna-ma-tata," Aang spoke slowly, enunciating the words. "Its an old Air Nomad quote. It means 'No worries'."

_"Hakuna matata. What a wonderful phrase." _Toph said affectionately.

_"Hakuna matata. It ain't no passing craze!" _Aang added excitedly.

_"It means no worries, for the rest of your days!" _Toph said as she grabbed Zuko's hand and lead him back toward the gathering. She then pushed him down onto a bush and handed him a leaf cup with water in it. Aang then jumped up behind him with another leaf cup and began fanning him with it.

_"It's our problem free philosophy!" _Toph and Aang said together as they grabbed their leaves full of water. _"Hakuna matata!" _They then tapped their leaves together before taking a drink and sitting down on either side of Zuko.

"Hakuna matata, huh?" Zuko asked as he too drank the water from leaf cup.

"Yep it's our motto." Aang said proudly.

"What a motto?" Zuko asked.

"Nothing, what's 'a motto' with you?" Toph asked, laughing loudly at her own joke.

Aang laughed too and put his arm around Zuko. "I'm telling ya, these two words can solve all your problems."

"That's right, take Aang here for example." Toph explained gesturing to her friend. "Why…_when he was a little air monk."_

_"When I was a little air MOOOOONK!" _Aang repeated, singing loudly off key.

"Very nice…" Toph said sarcastically, rubbing her ear.

"Thanks!" Aang said obliviously as Toph continued.

_"He found as an Air bender, he left a certain appeal. He could the clear the whole Earth Kingdom after every meal!" _Toph declared.

_"I'm a sensitive soul...on the outside and in." _Aang explained, motioning bashfully to his rear. _"And it hurt, that no one ever learned to stand down wind…and oh the shame!"_

"He was ashamed." Toph nodded.

_"Thought of changing my name!" _Aang said dramatically.

"Something better then Aang." Toph whispered to Zuko.

_"And I get downhearted!"_

"How down did ya feel?"

_"Every time that I-"_

"Aang!" Toph said covering his mouth. "Too much information."

"Oh, sorry," Aang said bashfully as Zuko raised a confused eyebrow.

Aang then jumped up and grabbed a vine from the tree, handing it to Toph as the two swung around playfully.

_Hakuna matata  
What a wonderful phrase  
__Hakuna matata  
Ain't no passing craze_

They then swung down and grabbed Zuko, who smiled at the playfulness of the two benders and decided to join in. "_It means no worries, for the rest of your days."_

"Say it loud and proud!" Toph said encouragingly as they sang together "_It's our problem free-"_

Aang then hung upside down beside them. _"Philosophy!"_

_"Hakuna matata!"_ the three declared.

"So, how do you feel now that you've learned about our motto?" Aang asked, slowing the vine down so they could jump off.

"A lot better actually." Zuko said smiling a bit as he jumped off. "You guys really know how to live."

"We sure do." Toph nodded. "And if you wanted, maybe you could join our hakuna matata too."

"You mean…live with you guys?" Zuko asked.

"We wouldn't mind. I'd be great having another kid around." Aang said cheerfully.

Zuko couldn't help but feel touched. He barely knew these two but they showed him more hospitality and kindness then he had experienced since running away. Without a second thought, Zuko nodded. "Then I'll stay."

"Alright!" Toph and Aang cheered.

"Welcome to our group." Aang said clapping him on the shoulder. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Oh its-" Zuko then paused. Now that he was on the run, he didn't think it wise to use his real name or his bending for that matter, even with his newfound friends. The less they knew about him being a Fire Nation prince the better.

"It's...Li." Zuko said, thinking on the spot. "Yeah, Li."

Toph looked oddly at Zuko then punched him hard on the shoulder. "Welcome to the group Li!" Zuko flinched and rubbed his arm but didn't lose the smile he had.

"Now that your one of us, we can show you our super secret hide-out." Aang said excitedly. "Come on!" He then grabbed Zukos hands and together he and Toph lead him off toward the mountains.

xXxXx

I love this song :) wish I had hakuna matata. Next chapter coming up...right now!


	12. I say Matata!

Chapter 12: I say Matata!

Aang and Toph lead Zuko through the forest to a large mountain where many of the rivers flowed from. Waterfalls and various plant life lined the cliffs, flowing down the sides into the streams below.

Reaching the bottom of the cliff, Toph flexed her fist and struck the ground beneath them causing it to rise up. Swing her arms back and forth, she was able to bend them up the side of the cliff and all the way to the top. Once there, Zuko saw a wide flat area with more plants and smaller waterfalls that flowed from up the mountain and into a small pond.

"Wow, cool place." Zuko said looking around.

"If you like this, you'll like the view behind you even more." Aang asked gesturing behind them.

Zuko turned around and was dazzled by the scenic view from the cliff. Not only could he see the whole forest, but he could also see Great Forks in the distance, along with the many winding rivers and the endless stretch of ocean. Flocks of birds flew high in the sky and towards the sun which was starting to sink over horizon. As a result, the sky turned a deep orange which reflected beautifully against the sparkling sea. Truly, it was a sight to behold.

"Come on, our hideout is just around the bend." Toph said grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the view. The three walked to a nearby waterfall and Aang pulled out a long staff he hid behind a rock. He used it to split the water in half and held it as Toph and Zuko walked underneath before following through himself.

Instead of a wall of stone, Zuko was surprised to see the entrance to a tunnel that seemed to lead further into the mountain.

"You're lucky you know. We've never shown this place to anyone." Toph said pulling him through the tunnel. They walked a short way through the darkness until finally coming to the end.

"Welcome to our humble home." Aang said gesturing around.

Zuko walked forward and his eyes widened in surprise. At the end was a large open cavern, filled with plants and flowers and one large Oak tree that sat right in the middle. Ivy and moss covered the stone walls stretched at least twenty feet high toward a large hole in the ceiling where the light shined through.

"Whoa, you live here?" Zuko asked.

"Technically, we live where ever we want." Toph explained. "But when we're visiting the Great Forks area, we like to hang out here."

There was defiantly signs that Aang and Toph had lived there a while. Blankets and sleeping bags laid on the ground near a small campfire area and next to that was a large table containing cooking utensils along with barrels of food. Also down at the base of the tree were piles of dirty dishes, old food and wrinkly clothes. But that didn't phase Zuko, who could scarcely believe that a place like this could exist within a mountain.

"It's beautiful." Zuko said admirably. He then looked down at a small white flower and went to touch it. Suddenly a small white lemur leaped up and grabbed the flower from his reach. The creature sniffed the flower and shoved it in its mouth but immediately spit it out in disgust.

"What is that thing?" Zuko asked pointing at the lemur as it began scratching its ears with his hind leg.

"Oh that's Momo, my seeing eye lemur." Toph explained as Momo jumped onto her shoulder and purred against her.

"Wow, I've never seen a flying lemur up close before." Zuko said looking closely at it. The lemur then jumped from Toph's shoulder and onto Zuko's and began sniffing him. Momo chirped happily and licked his ear before purring up against him.

"See? He's very friendly." Toph said as Momo leaped back to her shoulder, where petting him affectionately behind the ear.

"I can see that." Zuko said wiping his ear. "So any other pets I should know about?"

"Well there is Appa..." Aang pointed out.

"What's an Appa?" Zuko asked. Suddenly he felt a burst of hot air on the back of his neck. Turning around, he came face to face with two large brown eyes surrounded by white fur with a big bluish nose, horns and a very large mouth. The creature let out a roar and Zuko screamed, taking a step back into his fighting stance.

"Whoa, calm down Li!" Aang said getting between them. "This is Appa. He's my flying bison. Say hi Appa."

The large bison let out another roar and began walking forward. Zuko watched nervously as the large beast drew closer and froze in place as Appa sniffed him over. Letting out a snort, Appa then licked him with his gigantic tongue. Zuko fell backwards and held up his hands as Appa continued licking him.

"Aw he likes you." Aang said petting the bison's head.

Zuko flinched as Appa licked him again and held up his hand as he rolled aside and wiped the slobber off his head. Appa meanwhile started wiping his tongue against a rock to get all the dirt and sticks he had licked off of Zuko.

Just then there was a loud growling noise.

"Whoa, was that you Appa?" Aang asked the bison who shook his head.

Zuko then held his stomach, which grumbled loudly in hunger. "Sorry that was me. I forgot I haven't eaten in the last two days."

"I'm feeling hungry too." Toph said as his stomach started to gurgling. "We should start on dinner. What are you in the mood for Li?"

"Right now, anything." Zuko said as his stomach growled again. "I'm so hungry I can eat an OstrichHorse."

Aang paused and looked anxiously at Zuko. "I hope your kidding about that, cause we don't have any."

"Course I am." Zuko said. "But I could go for some PigChicken legs right now."

Aang winced. "We're all out of that."

"How about PigCow thighs?"

"Nuh uh."

"Chizard strips?"

"Nope, nope." Aang shook his head.

"Do you have any type of meat?" Zuko asked.

"Sorry Li, but Aang here is a vegetarian, so most of our meals are veggie based." Toph explained. "But if you want, we do have fish."

Zuko look uncertainly at the two. "Oh...fish...uh...see I'm not too big on fish..."

"That's cause you haven't tried our kind of fish." Toph said standing up. "Here's the thing Li, if your gonna live with us, you have to learn to eat like us. Now why don't you change out of those dirty clothes here while Aang and I rustle up some grub. There's a also a pond where you can wash up."

Aang then went to work, grabbing a small knife and chopping up cabbages which he threw into a large pot of water. Toph walked over to a small barrel by the tree and pulled out a couple of small fish which she jammed onto some sticks. Even Appa and Momo helped out by gathering wood for the fire place.

While they worked, Zuko walked over to the pile of wrinkly clothes which contained earth kingdom and air nomad garbs as well as some flashy decorative costumes. He rummaged through them till he found a set of brown robes that fit him.

"Hey Toph could you light the fire?" Aang called back as he chopped up carrots.

"Sure thing. Where'd you leave the flint?" Toph asked feeling around for the small rocks.

"Um...I don't remember." Aang said uncertainly.

"Great." Toph grumbled as she began feeling around for the sharp rocks.

Having cleaned himself up, Zuko walked back over to the campfire and watched as Toph search around for flint. His stomach growling loudly, Zuko decided to speed things along and waited till Aang wasn't looking before lighting the fire himself.

"What was that?" Toph asked feeling the sudden heat behind her.

"Just me Toph. I took care of the fire." Zuko said as the fire crackled away. "You can bring the food over now."

Toph thought it weird since she didn't hear any rocks or sticks being rubbed together but shrugged and placed the fish by the fire. Aang then set the pot over the fire and began stirring away.

It wasn't long before a weird odor filled the air and Zuko found himself staring down at a cauldron of green soup.

"What is that?" Zuko asked looking down at the bubbling concoction as he tried hard not to gag from the smell.

"Cabbage stew." Aang said pouring some into a bowl and handed it to Zuko. "Try it. I'll bet you its better then ChickenCow." Aang then poured his own bowl, grabbed a spoon and began swallowing mouthfuls of stew.

Zuko ate a spoonful and gagged in disgust, but forced himself to swallowing it down. "Wow Aang, that was...interesting."

Aang smiled and finished pouring Toph's bowl before pushing the pot over to Appa. While Appa ate, Zuko and Toph began tossing spoonfuls of stew onto the ground behind them. Momo went over and sniffed the remains, but then hissed and ran off.

"Now try my fish. They're nice and crispy." Toph said handing him a stick.

Zuko looked uncertainly at the charred fish as it stared back at him. "I don't know Toph..."

"Come on Li try it." Toph said handing him the stick. "I promise you'll learn to love it. Hakuna Matata."

Zuko seriously doubted it. The only time he ever had fish was when he visited Katara in the South and her tribe would make weird food like frosty barracuda, sea slugs and stewed sea prunes. Needless to say, seafood was not among his favorites.

However, he didn't want to offend his new friends so turned the fish sideways and held it to his mouth. "Oh well...hakuana matata." Bracing himself, he bite into the fish and rip a chunk off. Chewing the meat, Zuko was surprised to find that it didn't taste as bad as he thought and swallowed, smacking his lips together. "Hmm...slimy...smoky...yet satisfying."

"See? I told ya." Toph said handing him another fish. Together the three friends sat down and enjoyed their meal. Momo ate some fish as well and even tossed a few into Appa's large mouth.

"So, do you eat stuff like this everyday?" Zuko asked.

"Not really." Toph said slurping down the stew. "Usually we get some rice cakes or dumplings to go with this, but our funds have been kinda low."

"We're lucky those bandits and the cabbage merchant were around." Aang nodded. "At least we have a couple silver and copper pieces to last us a week."

"What do you guys usually do for money?" Zuko asked, taking another bite of fish.

"Steal." Aang and Toph said simply.

Zuko almost choked. "Steal! You mean you guys are thieves?"

"We don't consider ourselves thieves." Toph explained as she calmly ate more fish. "More like...high risk traders."

"But you take stuff from people. That makes you thieves!" Zuko exclaimed.

"Will you relax Li? It's not like we do it often. Most of the stuff you see here we've stolen off of visiting boats from rich merchants and traders. They usually carry hundreds of barrels and crated goods and we only take what we need. Heck, twinkletoes even leaves them a gift when we're done."

Aang nodded and pulled a white beaded necklace out of his pocket. "I made it out of those things that OysterCrabs belch out along the shore. Call it a hobby of mine. I usually leave it for the people to find, as my way of saying 'thank you for letting us borrow your stuff'."

Zuko looked at the white beads in admiration but shook his head. "They are nice...but it's still not right that you take things from people."

"Well it doesn't matter now cause we can't do it anymore." Aang said disappointedly. "We almost got caught stealing fish from some traveling fisherman and since then they started putting guards on the docks. Which stinks cause hardly anyone sells stuff on land."

"If only we could learn how to run those crooked games that those scammers do by the bait shop." Toph said. "Then we'd be rich."

As he listened to them talk, Zuko began forming ideas in his head. He glanced over at Momo as he devoured another fish, then over at the pile of costumes.

"Are there any rich people or royalty that comes to Great Forks often?" asked Zuko.

"Not really." Toph thought to herself. "Although the Earth King has been known to visit this time of the year with his pet bear."

Zuko then got an idea. "If I found a way for you guys to get enough money to last the year, would you stop stealing?"

"Of course." Aang said. "But how you gonna do that?"

"I have a plan...and its gonna go like this..."

oOo

The next day was bright and sunny in Great Forks and many new ships had pulled into the harbor. Among them was a royal earth kingdom ship that was privately owned by the King of Ba Sing Sei. Although he usually stayed within the city, he liked to take trips out to sea and travel around with his pet bear Bosco.

The two stepped off the ship and breathed in the salt air.

"Ahh, smell that Bosco? It's the smell of adventure!" he said excitedly as Bosco growled in agreement. They walked down the ramp and began wandering around deck as other fisherman brought in their catch. Bosco sniffed around and began nibbling on fish and bait while the other fishermen weren't looking.

As he passed the last fishing boat, the king felt a tug on his sleeve.

"Excuse me mister." asked a little blond haired girl. "Have you seen my pet lemur around? She's white with a pink ribbon on her tail. I was playing with her in the ocean and she suddenly disappeared. I've tried looking for her but it's hard cause I'm blind."

The King looked sympathetically at her "Sorry little girl but I haven't seen any lemur. Have you asked anyone else around here?"

"Hey mister!" the King then turned to see a young boy with a pointed fishermen hat and handkerchief tied around his face walking towards him. "Will you tell your bear to stop eating my dad's chum!"

"Bosco!" the King shouted as his bear continued eating out of a barrel of fish head.

As the king tried prying him away, he noticed something sticking out the side of his mouth and was horrified to see a long white tail with a pink bow tied around it.

"I sure hope Fluffy is okay." the girl said worriedly. "She's my seeing eye lemur and my bestest friend. I don't know what I would do without her..." the blonde haired girl then started to sob while the King stared wordless at her, unable to tell her what his bear did.

Just then he heard a bell ringing and turned to see a short old man with a long beard and pointy hat standing at the corner. Sitting on a perch next to the man was a white flying lemur.

"Lemur for sale!" the old man called out. "Get him at a cheap price!"

"I'll take it!" the King said rushing up to him. "How much?"

"Five hundred gold pieces." the old man said holding out his hand.

"Five hundred gold? For a lemur!" the King cried in outrage. "You must be out of your mind!"

"A FLYING lemur!" the old man emphasized. "They're a rare specimen in these parts. I tend to keep my prices pretty cheap compared to most, but if you think it's too much..."

"Fluffy!" the blonde hair called out as she wandered around. "Fluffy where are you?" The girl then walked into a barrel of fish, knocking it over and stubbing her toe. "Ouch!"

As she began to cry, the King let his guilt overcome him. "Fine I'll pay! But how about four hundred pieces instead?"

"Make it four hundred and fifty and you got yourself a deal." the old man said pointing at him with his stick.

"Done." the King then handed him a gigantic sack of gold.

"Pleasure doing business with ya." the old man winked. "Here's an added prize." he then gave him a white beaded necklace, much to the kings contempt.

He then took the lemur by the leash and tied a pink bow on its tail before leading it over to the girl. "Look little girl, I found your lemur."

"Fluffy!" the girl said happily as the lemur jumped into her arms and licked her cheek. "Thank you mister!"

"Anytime." the king said sighing in relief. "Just make sure you don't lose sight of each other ever again."

"I won't." the girl said as she walked off into the crowd.

Once gone, the king frowned and stared at the beaded necklace before turning to a passing fisherman.

"Here, give it your wife or something." he said tossing the beads into his bait bucket. The king turned to his pet bear as it finished eating a fish. "You're going on a diet as soon as we get home mister!" he then yanked the confused bear chain and pulled him back on the boat.

The fisherman watched as the King left and then picked up the white beads. Looking closely as them, a huge smile came over his face and he rushed home to show his family.

xXx

Later at the hideout, the three friends were counting up their numerous gold pieces and laughing among themselves as they enjoyed some tea from their new jade tea set.

"Aw man that was awesome!" Toph said as she threw off her blonde wig. "If I knew scamming was this fun I would've started years ago!"

"You said it!" Aang said, scratching his bushy beard. "Just wish we didn't have to make Momo into a girl." He said, watching as Momo rolled around on the ground, trying to pry the bow off his tail.

"Hey it got us four hundred gold didn't it? Minus fifty for the food, clothes and tea set." Toph asked sipping her cup of tea. "And we owe it all to our friend Li."

Zuko pulled the handkerchief off his face and removed his fisherman hat. "It was nothing really..."

"Are you kidding? It was genius!" Toph exclaimed. "We've made a years worth of money in one day! And for that, I salute you buddy."

"Me too. Hooray for Li!" Aang said as he and Toph lifted their cups to him.

Zuko smiled. "Thanks guys, glad I was able to help. Least we don't have to worry about food for a while."

"Like we ever worry. Hey, we should do something fun with the money too." Aang said drinking his tea. "Go somewhere we haven't been before."

"Hey yeah, we could finally visit Ba Sing Sei! I hear they're having their annual summer festival next week." Toph said. "We can leave on Appa first thing tomorrow."

"Sweet!" Aang said excitedly. "I always wanted to see the great wall. What do you think Li?"

Zuko looked a little uncertain but nodded. "As long as we don't spend too much, I say...Hakuana Matata."

"Hakuna Matata!" Aang repeated. "Now lets celebrate with some juicy watermelon slices." Aang walked over to a barrel a fruit they bought in town and picked up a gigantic watermelon. Using his air bending, he cut a few slices for himself, Toph, Zuko and Momo before giving the rest to Appa, who swallowed it in one gulp.

"Ahh...I'm telling ya, this is the life." Toph said resting against the tree as she ate a chunk of watermelon. "No rules, no responsibilities, no stupid adults telling us what to do..."

"And best of all, no worries!" Aang said happily. "Hakuna Matata reigns again!"

"You said it." Zuko said staring up at the sky. _"_After all..._it means so worries. For the rest of your days."_

_"It's our problem free philosophy." _Aang and Toph said together.

"Let's go swimming! Race ya!" Aang said as he jumped up and ran out of the cave. Toph and Zuko chased after him and watched as Aang took off his shirt before diving head first through the waterfall and into the pond on the other side.

"_Hakuna Matata!"_ he yelled as he did a swan dive underwater.

"He's got the right idea. Race ya slow poke." Toph said, punching Zuko playfully in the shoulder before running through the waterfall and doing a belly flop into the pond. _"Hakuna Matata!"_

Shrugging, Zuko took off his shirt and did a running start through the falls, cannon balling into the pond. _"Hakuna Matata!"_

Zuko re-emerged from underwater to the laughter of his friends as they floated casually on the surface.

_"I say hakuna!"_ Toph said outloud.

_"I say matata!" _Aang added.

"_Hakuna Matata!"_ Zuko said splashing them both playfully.

_"Hakuna Matata!"_ they said altogether as they started a splash fight. Suddenly a shadow appeared overhead and Appa did a belly flop into the pond, creating a huge wave which flung them back on land. The friends looked around in a daze before spotted Appa who floated contently in the water with Momo sitting on his head.

As his friends laughed at the big wet bison, Zuko couldn't help but feel happy at that moment. He thought he could never feel that way again after the tragic accident, but now he had new friends, a new home and new life of traveling and adventure to look forward to. But most of all, he had a new hope. A hope to enjoy the new care-free exciting life he had ahead and forget all about his old tragic one he left behind. To live with his new friends and enjoy the Hakuna Matata they would create together for the rest of his days.

xXxXx

Before I start my next chapter, Id like to take a little time to talk about the people who inspired me to start writing and those who continue to give me inspiration.

First, are the fanfiction authors:

Spleefmistress

- One of the best fanfics writers I've ever seen, her retelling of the story of Hades and Persephone from a Zutara perspective was not only highly imaginative and creative, but she was able to nail the characters perfectly and create surprisingly good chemistry between the two. It gave me great lessons on how to make a good Zutara story and often inspires me when writing romantic scenes between Zuko and Katara.

Liselle129

- Reading her numerous one shots, this writer inspired me to incorporate Broadway songs into my stories rather then ones from the movies. Her use of different Broadway songs for different characters in various episodes and settings helped me when writing scenes with big music numbers.

Tanikara kohitsui

- This was last story I read before I starting writing my Little Mermaid fanfic. This retelling of Aladdin not only inspired me to go the Disney route, but to think outside the box in terms of characters casting, whether it be for gender, personality, animal, or object. Something I've done a lot in my fics (ex: Toph as Flounder, Suki as Cogsworth, Meng as LaFou)

La Riviera

- Although her story was sadly discontinued, she gave me the inspiration I needed to make my own beauty and the beast story. It showed me that I don't need to go by the script to tell the story, and that coming up with my own dialog and concepts can be just as fun and even better then the movie.

w.i.t.c.h fan in ut

- a girl whose been with me from the start, WFIU was one of my first reviewers and one of the first writers to avatarize almost every Disney film in existence. It gave me a lot of good ideas for my Disney stories as well future ones and presented me with my own challenge of making a different version of an already existing story.

Then there's the real life people:

'Bennett the Sage' aka Bennett White

- An internet personality on that guy with the glasses. com , not only is Bennett a reviewer of video games, but he reviews fanfiction as well. Bad fanfiction that is. Watching his segments of Masterpiece Fanfic Theater, Bennett's readings has shown me what NOT to do when writing a fanfic. Everything from bad spelling, to misuse of verbs, to ridiculous plot points (srly, there's a story where a man makes love to a raptor. i kid you not. )

Disneyhater aka My brother Scott

- An Illustration major in college, Scott is a regular art contributor on deviantart and has created his own art series involving transformers and power rangers. Despite his challenges with autism, Scott has proven himself to be a decent story teller and character creator, his personal specialty being able to 'transformerize' people into robots. Even I have a robot version of me :P Scott inspires me cause he can take any mundane object or person and make it intresting. Since we tend to work really well off each other, we often come up with chracters or concepts for fun and as a result, usually create something awesome. Now if only he didnt hate disney so much...

and last but not least...

Shwiggity Shwah aka My fiancé Jason

- The biggest inspiration in my life, Jason is a grad school science major as well as an artist, writer and storyteller. Although he has written a few of his own personal stories, his true forte is being storyteller for various table top RPGs, including a game called Exalted, which is made up of him, me and several of our friends. The ideas and characters he comes up with every week for our sessions are astoundingly brilliant. Aside from creating them using stats from the book, but he also draws them on paper (in very beautifully detailed illustrations) and gives them their own special powers and personalities. He often writes out how the story will go but also improvises a lot of the time, keeping the plotlines interesting and the adventures epic.

Jason inspires me the most out of everyone because he is always brimming with ideas and creativity and does such a wonderful job of storytelling. He's given me great ideas for my stories and always takes time to read them over so I don't make any mistakes. But most of all, he inspires me to do better and be better as both a writer and a person. Because of this, I plan on writing an Exalted fanfic once I'm done with The Lion King, based on our current Exalted game which is still in progress.


	13. The Madness of Fire Lord Ozai

Warning: This chapter is rated P...for Pedobear :P

Chapter 13: The Madness of Fire Lord Ozai

Eight years had passed since Ozai took control of the Fire Nation and much had changed since then. Unfortunately, it wasn't for the better. After the death of Iroh, tensions had broken out between the four nations, especially between the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. War was declared and battles were fought overseas with both sides suffering heavy casualties.

While the Air Nomads and Northern Water Tribe were quick to assist the Earth Kingdom, the Southern Tribe was forced to stay neutral, as Ozai threaten the safety of Sokka and Katara, who remained imprisoned within the Imperial Pride Palace. Although attempts were made to infiltrate the Fire Nation palace and free the siblings, all of them failed.

Things weren't much better on the mainland either. Because of all the weapon factories that were built, a large amount of pollution was created that greatly affected the land. Rivers were filled with waste and sludge, dark smoke filled the skies and even the soil became polluted, preventing farmers from growing new food and killing most of the existing plant life. As a result, many Fire Nation citizens had to go without food or clean water and relied on daily boat deliveries to give them supplies from the outer islands. Due to the food shortage, animals were often driven from their habitats and relentlessly hunted for food. Even animals from the zoo started mysteriously disappearing.

However despite all the Fire Nation's problems, Ozai remained unconcerned and would often spend his days relaxing in his large throne room. This day was no different as Ozai laid back in his throne lazily eating grapes off a vine while Sokka sat on the bottom step, his legs bound by heavily chains.

Since Sokka was next in line to be chief, Ozai kept special watch over him, making the boy into his personal servant so he could keep him close and prevent escape. During that time, Sokka was often subjugated to tedious work and humiliating tasks. One such example, was singing.

"_Nobody knows…the trouble I've seen…" _Sokka sang in monotone. "_Nobody knows my sorrow…" _

"Oh Sokka, do lighten up." Ozai said, tossing the bare grape vine in his direction. "Try singing something with a little bounce in it."

Sokka thought for a moment, then started singing cheerfully "_Who lives in a pineapple under the sea-"_

"NO!" Ozai shouted looking back at him. "No! Anything but that!"

Sokka let out a sigh then started to sing "_Winter, spring, summer and fall-"_

"Oh forget it." Ozai said standing up as he began pacing around the room. "I'm too preoccupied for music anyway. An upsetting event happened today. I tried going on a palanquin ride through town, and those dreadful peasants threw rocks and dirt at me…again."

"Gee, I can't imagine why." Sokka said dryly.

"This isn't right…here I am on top of the world but the view is bleak." Ozai said disappointedly. "What is wrong with this picture?"

"You're in it?" Sokka suggested.

"I'm plagued by a profound emptiness." Ozai continued. "I need to be bucked up!"

"You've already bucked up." Sokka retorted. "Royally."

Ozai threw him a glare before letting out a depressed sigh. "Sokka…why am I not loved?

_I am that rare and awesome thing  
I'm every inch a king  
Yet I feel a twinge of doubt  
As I go walk about_

"Master Ozai?" a voice called out. Azula, Mai and Ty Lee then entered through the doors but Ozai was too distracted to notice.

_"When my name is whispered through the pride." _Ozai pondered to himself. _"Is this talk of love or regicide?"_

"Reggie who?" Ty Lee asked in a confused tone.

"_Tell me I'm adored." _Ozai begged out loud. _"Please tell me I'm adored."_

"Master Ozai-" Azula interrupted.

"Oh, what is it!" Ozai snapped at them.

"We got a bone to pick with you!" Mai said angrily stepping forward.

"Let me handle this Mai." Azula commanded before turning to Ozai. "Father please listen…we've just got back from the village and the crates of food for the palace aren't there. We searched all over but there's no food or water anywhere. Sources tell us that the pirates had another one of their raids again."

"Which stinks for us! It's dinnertime, and all we have to eat are moldy old biscuits!" Mai complained.

"You and your petty complaints!" Ozai snapped as they drew back. "None of you know what real hunger is! Day after day it gnaws at the very core of my being." He said dramatically holding his chest.

"I think Hawky had that once." Sokka blurted out. "I believe it was worms."

"No, no, no!" Ozai shaking his head. "It's like an itch... deep, persistent, profound…"

"Sounds like worms to me!" Ty lee nodded. "You should do what his bird did...just hunker down and scoot-ouch!" she yelled as Azula whacked her upside the head. "What?"

"Too much information Ty Lee." Mai said looking at her in disgust.

"Thanks for the tip." Ozai said dryly as rubbed his temples and walked back to his throne. "I need a hot towel or something…"

Mai and Ty Lee then gestured Azula forward. She shot them a look before nervously reproaching Ozai. "Father-"

"Will you stop calling me that!" he shouted down at her.

Azula flinched and bit her lip but continued on. "'Master Ozai', please. This can't go on. The villagers are getting more forceful and these constant pirate raids aren't helping matters. You have to do something about the food crisis before we all starve."

"It's the Kyoshi Warrior's jobs to handle the food shipments." Ozai said rubbing his head. "Take your complaints up with them."

"We just did." Mai said stepping forward. "But those clown faced freaks refuse to go to the docks until they get extra protection when handling the crates."

"Extra protection! Those ingrates!" Ozai said angrily. "How dare they…if it weren't for me they'd be beating off buzzards for their next bite!"

The girls glanced at each other in disbelief as Mai let out a scoff. "_Yeah, you're our savior, thanks a bunch. But how about some lunch?"_

"_It doesn't matter what we eat." _Ty lee shook her head. _"A little bread or meat?"_

"_Our bones have moved to where they've never been." _Azula said, gesturing to her skinny waist. _"They are on the outside looking in!"_

"Are you blaming me?" Ozai accused as the girls backed away in fear.

"Oh no!" the girls shook their heads rigorously. "It's the Kyoshi warriors."

"Uh huh..." Ozai said looking at them skeptically.

"_You are so adored!" _The girls knelt before him and started kissing the hem of his robes. _"Oh, you are so adored. You are so adored!"_

"That's more like it." Ozai nodded in he turned away, the girls began whispering among themselves.

_But what I'd give for one more hit  
Of ChickenCow or bread dough  
Maybe HogMonkey on the grill-_

Mai stomach growled and she shouted in anguish "Oh, how I miss Lord Iroh!"

"Iroh?" Ozai exclaimed turning around quickly, his hands ablaze. "Iroh! Which one of you wretches said Iroh?"

The girls paused nervously before Mai pointed to Sokka. "He did it!"

"What?" Sokka exclaimed as Ozai turned his attention to him. "No! No I-"

"How dare you!" Ozai said grabbing his collar and getting in his face. "I told you never to mention that name!"

"Of course you did!" Sokka said, his voice cracking slightly. "And don't worry, I shall never mention, uh...'Mmp-Mmh' again."

"Good." Ozai sneered letting go of his shirt. He then turned to the girls. "If you three are done, I'll ask you to leave my throne room immediately."

The girls paused and looked at each other. "But we're still hungry-"

"OUT!" he shouted loudly, scaring the girls into running out of the room.

Ozai then went to his throne and sat down, rubbing his head in agitation. "Oh the agony of it all… it's been over eight years since my brothers death and still, his shadow looms over me!"

He then glanced to the side and saw a shadow of Iroh silhouetted on the wall.

"AHH! There he is!" He pointed behind him. "Look!"

Sokka looked to the wall but closer inspection only showed a shadow of a lion statue.

"It's just a statue sire."

"Oh…okay." Ozai nodded before noticing the fire crackling behind him. "Wait! There he is!"

Sokka looked at the fireplace and again, there was nothing. "That's just fire sire."

"No there! There!" he then pointed randomly to a dark corner of the room. "Dear Agni he's everywhere!"

"Oh boy." Sokka said shaking his head. "Alright calm down sire, before you get another one of your splitting headaches-"

"I AM PERFECTLY FINE!" Ozai declared slamming his fist down on the table and setting it ablaze. He then stared nervously around the throne room and at every shadow that moved.

_I'm better than my brother was  
I'm revered, I am reviled  
I'm idolized, I am despised  
I'm keeping calm, I'm going wild!_

Paranoid, Ozai wandered into the middle of the room and began looking around anxiously around, talking to himself.

_I tell myself I'm fine  
Yes I am, no you're not  
Yes I am, no you're not_

_I tell myself I'm fine  
No you're not, yes I am  
__No you're not, yes I am  
No you're not_

"_Yes, no, yes, no, who am I talking to!" _Ozai then fell to his knees screaming and began tearing at his hair.

"Pull yourself together sire!" Sokka shouted loudly, grabbing his serving dish and banging it loudly on the ground.

The loud noise snapped Ozai out of his delusion and he straightened up, fixing his crown. "Very well then."

As he got back to his senses, the overwhelming emptiness he felt earlier came back to Ozai and he once again became depressed. "Sokka, a word with you?"

"Yes sire..." Sokka sighed, knowing where this was going.

Ozai let out a dramatic sigh. "Nobody loved me! Even as a boy, my parents loved Iroh more then they did me! Honestly, what did my brother have that I don't have?"

"Do you want the short list or the long?" Sokka asked.

"Whatever." Ozai said casually.

Sokka then began counting off his finger. "Well first off, he had adoring subjects…"

"Nope…" Ozai shook his head.

"A loving family…"

"Defiantly not." Ozai added.

"A devoted queen…"

"That's it!" Ozai said standing up quickly. "What I've been missing this whole time! I need a queen!"

"Wait what?" Sokka asked in surprise.

"A queen, man! A queen!" Ozai repeated. "Without a queen, what am I? A dead end, no line, no descendants, no future!"

"But, you have Azula." Sokka pointed out in confusion. "I mean, she's your daughter isn't she?"

"Hardly." Ozai scoffed. "She's more a henchmen then a daughter. Besides her mother was nothing but a filthy commoner. My heirs need to be of true royal heritage, which means my queen must be of royal heritage as well. Once I have all that, immortality will be mine!"

Just then the doors burst open and Katara stormed in followed by two guards. "Lord Ozai! We need to talk!"

"Katara?" Sokka said in surprise.

Ozai looked at her in surprise as well. Just then an idea struck him and a devious smile appeared on his face. "Ahh Katara…"

"We tried stopping her sire but somehow she got past us." said a guard as he grabbed Katara by the arm. "We'll bring her back to her room immediately."

"Let me go, I need to speak!" Katara yelled as the guard also grabbed her arm.

"That won't be necessary gentlemen." Ozai said holding up his hand. "If my young ward needs to talk, then she shall do so. Release her." The guards obeyed and let go of Katara before exiting the room.

"Lord Ozai, I can't stay silent anymore." Katara explained. "We need to talk about something really important."

"Of course we do." Ozai nodded, a sly smile spreading over his face as he walked toward Katara. "I was just thinking about an important matter myself when you arrived. Your timing couldn't have been more perfect." He then paused and looked over her face as well as her soft feminine features. "My, I never realized how much you've grown…"

"Lord Ozai, you have got to do something about this food shortage." Katara continued. "I've been watching the people from my bedroom window and it's pure misery out there! People are starving and being forced into the streets by your pirate thugs! Even the Kyoshi Warriors get savagely attack whenever they step outside the gate!"

Ozai however wasn't listening as he began circling around Katara, examining every inch of her with his eyes. She had grown quite a lot over the years and was almost as tall as Sokka. She wore a silky red fire nation outfit that hugged her gentle curves and her long soft hair was done up in a stylish top knot. Needless to say she was quite beautiful, which pleased Ozai greatly. _"She's got those assets feminine. I have to make her mine."_

"You're the Fire Lord, control the pirates!" Katara pleaded. "Tell them to stop bullying people and ruining the Fire Nation!"

_"Nobility in every gene." _Ozai said continued to glance upon her. _"She has to be my queen."_

"If you could just get them to stop now and find a new source of food, there's still a chance for things to be all right again!" Katara said hopefully. "Just give them the orders!"

_"Come Katara!" _Ozai said grabbing her hand and pulling her close to him. _"It's written in the skies!"_

"What are you doing?" Katara asked nervously as Ozai put a hand on her waist. "Are you listening to me?"

"Hey get off my sister!" Sokka called out as he struggled against his chains.

_"We'll create a whole bunch of little Ozai's" _He then slid his long fingernail down her cheek and over her lips.

"What are you talking about?" Katara asked, pulling away from him.

_"Tell me I'm adored!" _Ozai demanded, grabbing her by the wrists.

"Get away from me!" Katara yelled, struggling under his grip.

_"Tell me I'm adored_-Oof!" Ozai then bent over in pain as Katara kneed him right in the groin. She backed away and took a fighting stance as he tried getting back on his feet.

"You perverted creep!" Sokka shouted, throwing his serving tray at the ground near him. "Katara get out of here now-"

"Silence you!" Ozai shouted, pointing in Sokka's direction. Although he was sore, Ozai still managed to stand up and took a deep breath. "Oh, Katara my dear... you always were a feisty one... but one way or another, you will be mine."

"Never Ozai!" Katara shouted defiantly. "Just because you're my guardian doesn't mean you decide who I marry!"

"That is where you are wrong." Ozai said limping slightly toward her. "If I remember correctly, an arrangement was made long ago with the Water Tribe that you were to be married to the heir of the Fire Nation."

"She was supposed to be married to Zuko!" Sokka interrupted.

"And now he is dead." Ozai said simply. "Which makes me the next living heir. And once we're married, I will seize full control of the Water Tribe and make them a part of my growing empire."

"Well you can forget it!" Katara declared. "I'd rather die then marry you!"

Ozai chuckled. "So headstrong and determined, just like your father. You may refuse and be willing to risk your life…but what about his?"

He then snapped his fingers and two of the guards appeared. Ozai gestured behind him and the guards grabbed Sokka by the arms.

"Hey what are you doing?" Sokka exclaimed as they undid his chains from the wall and put him in cuffs.

"Take Sokka down to the dungeon and bind his arms and legs." Ozai commanded. "And send word for a priest as well as a planner for next week."

"Katara!" Sokka shouted as the guards dragged him out into the hall.

"Sokka!" Katara shouted, watching helplessly as he was dragged to the dungeon. She then turned angrily to Ozai. "Let him go right now!"

"And you-" As she attempted to punch him, Ozai grabbed her hand and twisted it behind her back. "My pretty little water princess. If you don't change your mind and agree to be my queen by next week, I'll have your brother executed and your whole tribe wiped out."

Katara looked back at him with anger and fear in her eyes and managed to wrench free of his grip. Then without a word, she turned and ran straight out of the room.

Ozai watched as she left and grinned. "She won't get far. Guards!" A new set of guards then entered the room. "Find Katara and escort her back to her room...and make sure she stays there this time."

"Right away sir." They bowed and ran back out.

With everyone gone, Ozai laughed evilly to himself. _"She belongs to me! They all belong to me! Me! Me! MEEEE!"_

xXxXx

That devilsh devil :( How will the water tribe siblings get out of this one? Stay tuned!

Btw, thought Id share with you all a discovery I made on youtube of a guy called Confused Matthew. He reviews movies he's gone to see and was severely disappointed or confused by. And one of the movies happens to be the Lion King. Aside from my brother, he's the only other person I know who actually HATES the lion king! But unlike my brother, its not for completely stupid reasons. If you keep an open mind, the video is actually quite entertaining and makes you think. :3 go check it out if your curious.


	14. The Promise

Hooray! School is FINALLY Over! Thank friggen god! Those final exams were a bitch :x Sorry for the mild swearing but Im just so relieved to be done and over with school. Feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I can suddenly think clearly. You have no idea how big that is for me.

Anyways, Ive finally finished writing my chapter, which once again I have split into two. Its gonna be a little different as the scene if from neither the play or the movie but hopefully ull like it all the same. Enjoy!

xXx

Chapter 14: The Promise

Despite orders to keep quiet, news of the Fire Lord's engagement had spread quickly throughout the palace. Servants and guards gossiped among themselves till eventually word reached the ear of the captain of the guard, which happened to be Azula. And she was far from happy about it.

"What! What do you mean the Fire Lord is engaged?" Azula shouted at a young guard who withdrew slightly in fear. Mai and Ty Lee were shocked about the news too and listened curiously as Azula stared down the frightened guard.

"Well?" Azula shouted.

"It's just a rumor I heard Captain. Please don't hurt me." the young guard said fearfully holding up his hands.

"When did this happen?" Azula demanded. "Who is the bride?"

"I-I don't know Captain." the young guard said shakily. "All I heard is that the Fire Lord has summon a priest to the palace for next week-"

"Then I suggest you find out more!" Azula interrupted. "Go back on patrol and find out if anyone has information on the bride-to-be."

"Yes Captain." the young guard said bowing to her before hastily walking away.

Azula kicked a nearby statue, causing it to break and topple over, and grumbled angrily as she paced back and forth. Her father couldn't be getting married. She had never seen him with any type of woman and he never mentioned any wedding plans. How could this have happened?

After silent deliberation between them, Mai decided to approach Azula while Ty Lee watched nervously.

"I'm sure they're just rumors Azula." Mai said, trying to sound convincing. "Maybe he summoned the priest for something else."

"Yeah, maybe he just need his food blessed or something." Ty Lee added. "It's nothing to get worked up about."

"Nothing to get worked up about!" Azula snapped, turning quickly to face them. "Are you two that thick? Do you know what would happen to me if my father took a bride? He'd produce heirs who would be next in line for the throne and I'd be tossed away like week old Lima beans. Is that something not to get work up about?"

As Mai struggled for the right words, two guards approached them and bowed to Azula.

"What do you want?" Azula snapped at them. "Can't you see we're busy?"

"Excuse us Captain Azula." a bearded guard said as he approached her with a scroll. "But the Fire Lord has sent me to deliver these instructions to you."

Azula grabbed the scroll and started reading it before furrowing her eyebrows in anger. "Bring food to the Water Tribe siblings? Why would he have me do something like that? That's servant work!" Azula shouted indignantly.

"I know Captain." The guard nodded in agreement. "But Lord Ozai needs you to oversee that the two are being properly guarded for when the priest comes at the end of the week. He's already had the boy put in the dungeon and has us stationed in front of the girls room."

"All this trouble for a priest?" Azula asked skeptically. "There's got to be more to it then that. Are you sure you're not keeping anything from me?"

"Of course not captain. We only know as much as you do." the other guard said hastily shaking his head.

Azula pondered over her fathers strange instructions. Katara and Sokka had been under constant guard since Ozai came to power and even though there had been a few escape attempts they were always caught. Why was this week so important? As she started reading the rest of the scroll, a flash of realization appeared on Azula's face. Suddenly, she had a pretty good idea who the mystery bride was. As she finished reading, a small yet subtle grin then appeared on her face.

"Thank you gentlemen. I'll make sure to get right on it. You may resume your posts now." Azula said dismissing the guards. She waited till they were before turning to Ty lee.

"Ty Lee, I want you to take the water brats their meals. Let me know immediately if either one says anything interesting."

"Yes Azula." Ty Lee bowed before quickly leaving toward the kitchen.

"Why'd you send Ty Lee?" Mai asked. "I thought Ozai wanted you to bring them food."

"Because, its all part of a plan I'm forming." Azula explained. "If my suspicions are true, then that water tribe wench may indeed be the mystery girl who is marrying my father."

"Ew gross!" Mai asked, cringing in disgust. "Isn't she around our age?"

"Indeed." Azula nodded. "It's bad enough my father's taking a bride, but to marry the daughter of the Water Tribe Chief would spell disaster for my fathers growing empire. The worse part is he won't realize this till its too late. So, we'll just have to fix the problem for him."

"What do you plan to do?" Mai asked.

"First, we need to find out for sure if the girl is indeed betrothed to my father. If either of the siblings know this, they'll be more likely to spill the beans to Ty Lee. After all, she was the one who alerted us to their last escape attempts. Once we have confirmation, we can form a plan to remove the two siblings...permanently."

"You mean kill them?" Mai ask in shock. "But they're the only thing preventing the Water Tribes from attacking us!"

"Which is why their deaths must be made to look accidental or self-inflicted. If we kill them outright, father will lay blame on us and we'll all be severely punished. Once they're gone, I'll convince my father to avert the troops and launch a surprise attack on the Water Tribe, wiping them all out before news of the siblings death even reaches them."

"I don't know about this…" Mai said uncertainly.

Azula however wasn't listening. As she looked off into the distance, a strange grin appeared on her face. "After all that is done, I'll have finally earned my father's love and respect. He will reward me with wondrous praise and finally recognize me as the daughter he always wanted. He will make me heir to the Fire Nation throne and together we will rule the world!"

As Mai listened to Azula's rambling, she grew more and more fearful. Azula's plan sounded more like the rambling of a madman rather then a battle strategy. Going behind the Fire Lord's back to kill his bride sounded like it would cause more problems then it would supposedly solve. However, because of Mai's intense fear of Azula, she nodded her head and made no effort to object.

"Come. We need to speak to our pirate brethren about our plan." Azula said as she and Mai made their way toward the front gates. "We're going to need help as well as patsies to take the fall..."

From around the corner, Ty Lee had hidden herself behind a pillar and listened carefully to Azula's plan. Waiting till they left, she quickly ran in the opposite direction.

xXx

Down in the dungeon, Sokka sat alone in a metal cell, his legs aching from being weighed down by thick heavy shackles. However, he was too distracted to notice as all he could think about was Katara and the horrible predicament she was in. He desperately wished he do something to help her but the guards were careful to watch him at all times and prevent any attempt at escape.

Soon he heard a metal door open and footsteps going down the steps before approaching his cell.

"Hi boys. Just here to deliver dinner to that water tribe boy."

"Of course. Go right in Miss Ty Lee." said a guard as he opened the door to Sokka's cell.

Sokka looked up and glared at the pink girl as she walked in carrying a large silver tray with a round cover on top.

"Well look who's here." Sokka said dryly. "Little Miss Pinky. Come to pink up my day have you?"

"Quiet you." Ty Lee said sternly.

"Or what?" Sokka replied. "You gonna poke me to death with you pretty fingernails?"

"I mean it!" Ty lee yelled. "You be quiet right now or I'll...feed your food to the dogs!"

Sokka scoffed. "Please! Like dogs would touch that nasty tasting stuff. Besides they'd be too distracted by your outfit and think you're a chew toy or something."

"Takes one to know one you- you big meanie!" Ty Lee shot back.

"Ooh, great comeback. That one really hurt" Sokka said sarcastically, pretending to hold his chest. "Got any other names for me circus freak?"

"Pig headed jerk!" Ty Lee responded.

"Trapezing tart!" Sokka yelled back.

"Big mouthed wombat!"

"Giggling airhead!"

"Stinky McStinkface!"

"Um, is everything alright in there?" asked the guard as he looked in through the peep hole.

"Oh yeah everything's fine." Ty Lee said smiling back at him. "Could you maybe give me a few minutes alone with this ruffian?" Ty Lee asked, glaring back at Sokka who stuck his tongue out at her. "I have a few choice words for him that I don't think gentlemen like yourselves should hear."

"Well we're under orders from Ozai not to let the prisoner out of our sight…" the guard started to explain.

"It's okay. I'm here now and he wouldn't dare try to escape." Ty Lee said hitting the bars as Sokka stuck his tongue at her again. "Please just a few minutes?"

"Well alright then...just call when you're ready to leave."

"Sure thing." Ty lee said smiling at the guard as he walked away. She then turned to Sokka. "Alright you big eared cretin. I got one last thing to say to you."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" Sokka asked snidely.

Ty Lee took a deep breath and waited till she heard the guards footsteps fade away before smiling cheerfully. "Great job!"

"Whew, you too." Sokka nodded in relief. "You're getting better with the name calling you know. But Stinky McStinkface?"

"It just came to mind." Ty lee shrugged. "So, ready for an extra special treat today?"

Sokka's eyes lit up. "You mean you finally managed to sneak in a few of those delicious meaty dumplings?"

"Even better." Ty Lee grinned. She then lifted up the lid of the tray and with a loud squawk, out jumped a large red bird with a blue scarf tied around its neck.

"Hawky?" Sokka called out as the bird flew through the bars and landed on Sokka's lap before rubbing his head up against his cheek. "Hawky! Oh it's great to see you buddy!" He then hugged his feathered friend while Ty lee watched happily.

"I don't believe it, how'd you do it Ty lee?" Sokka asked as the bird began hopping around the cell.

"I snuck over to the bird tower and picked the lock on his cage. Managed to smuggle him out under my shirt but got a few bruises from where he pecked me." Ty lee said gesturing to her stomach which had a small bruise over her belly button.

"Oh, sorry about that Ty Lee." Sokka said apologetically. "Want me to kiss it and make you feel better?"

"Sokka you dog!" Ty Lee squealed, playfully slapping him through the bars.

"I'm kidding!" Sokka said holding up his arms in defense. "But seriously, thanks for bringing him here. I feel so bad for him being cooped up in that cage. Especially since Ozai had his wings clipped…"

"He's a tough bird. Just like his owner." Ty Lee said petting Hawky's head as he preceded to flap his wings around the cell. "I'm gonna keep him in my room from now on, see if maybe I can get him to fly again."

"That would be great." Sokka nodded optimistically. "But first...can I please have my dinner?" Sokka then looked at the food tray with his mouth watering. "I'm starving here!"

"Oh right. I forgot you can't concentrate on an empty stomach." Ty lee then slid his tray under the bars and took off the napkin covering it, revealing a small bowl of chicken and rice along with a cup of water. "I managed to throw in some leftover chicken bits from the Fire Lords feast last night. It's kinda dry but should still be edible."

Sokka immediately grabbed the bowl and began scarfing down the food while Hawky pecked at the discarded rice. Ty Lee watched in amazement, wondering how one person could fit that much food in his mouth, and let out a small giggle.

Once done, Sokka wiped his mouth looked gratefully up at her. "Thanks Ty Lee. That was delicious."

"Anytime." Ty lee said pulling the tray back.

"You know as bad things are, I'm glad I can always turn to you. You're the one thing that makes my imprisonment in this place tolerable."

Ty Lee smiled. "Aww, your just saying that cause I brought you meat."

"No I really mean it." Sokka said with utmost sincerity. "Even though I'm Water Tribe, you've been incredibly kind and helpful to me. If it wasn't for you, Azula probably would have done away with me by now. Especially after my last botched escape attempt..."

"Yeah...good thing I told you her you were escaping out the back rather then the front. Gave me time to save you from being roasted by the guards."

Sokka turned red in embarrassment but laughed it off. "You know it's weird...you were brought up by pirates but your nothing like them. Or Azula or Mai for that matter. Not to sound suspicious or anything, but why are you so nice to me?"

Hearing the question, Ty Lee paused and slightly bit her lip as she couldn't help but think back to that day eight years ago…

xXx

_8 years ago..._

After chasing the herd of Baboofullo into the divide, the girls ran along the cliff side to catch up with Ozai. Before getting there however, Azula stopped dead in her tracks.

"What is it Azula?" Ty lee asked.

"Look." Azula said pointing to the edge of the cliff. The girls looked from behind the rock and spotted Chief Hakoda as he raced frantically to the edge with a long rope in hand.

He put his fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly. "Iroh up here!" he then waved the Fire Lord toward the cliff and threw down the rope for them to climb up.

"This is my lucky day..." Azula said grinning determinedly. "Let's go stop him!"

"But Master Ozai said to-" Ty lee began. However, Azula didn't listen as she jumped out from behind the rock and raced toward Hakoda. Mai shrugged and took out her knives as she followed after Azula, leaving Ty Lee alone to watch.

Hakoda heard a noise and turned his head as Azula was closing in on him. "You!"

Azula then ignited her fist and swung at Hakoda who ducked backwards to avoid her. The rope in his hands slipped slightly but he managed to grab on. Azula then folded her fists together and slammed them down on Hakoda's neck causing him to stumble forward.

As he bent over in pain, Mai then used one of her knifes to slice through the rope, sending Iroh and Zuko falling back into the divide. Hakoda watched as they fell back into the stampede and glared back at Azula who grinned and motioned for him to come forward.

Hakoda whipped out his sword just as the two girls started double teaming him. Although the girls were good, Hakoda was better and managed to parry all their attack while beating them back towards the wall.

"Ty Lee! Get off your lazy behind and help us!" Azula called out to her as she launched another fireball, only to have it disperse once it hit Hakoda's sword.

Seeing they needed help, Ty lee cart wheeled over the rock to join the fray. She had a hard time maneuvering around Hakoda's sword however and had to keep ducking attacks from him as well as Azula and Mai.

The four fought their way back along the cliff edge, neither having a clear advantage over the others, till they reached the far end of the divide.

Hakoda then kicked Mai's feet out from under her and knocked Azula backwards with the hilt of his sword. Azula then stumbled into Ty lee as she tried cart wheeling sideways, throwing her off balance. Ty Lee then fell backwards off the edge of the cliff as Azula shook her head and got back up to continue attacking Hakoda. Neither one bothered to check on Ty Lee, who was now clinging desperately to a loose root hundreds of feet over the stampede.

"Azula! Mai!" Ty Lee called up to them. When she heard no answer, she tried pulling herself up. The root she was holding onto then starting to pry loose from the soil, causing her to slip a few inches. Ty lee grabbed hold of a pointed rock and continued clinging desperately to the cliff.

"HELP!" she called up. But Azula and Mai were too busy trying to take down Hakoda to notice. However, Hakoda heard her cries and noticed the pink girl as she hung on for dear life. Despite being attacked from both sides, Hakoda managed to fight them back and then kicked up some dirt with his sword, creating a dust cloud that distracted Azula and Mai as he dashed toward the cliff.

Ty Lee felt her grip on the rock start to slip and she let out a loud scream as she began to fall.

Suddenly she felt a hand grab her wrist. Looking up she was shocked to see Hakoda holding onto her. He swung her back and forth quickly before swinging her onto the ledge.

Ty Lee barely had time to register what happened when Azula ran up from behind and kicked Hakoda forward, sending him falling over the edge.

"NOO!" Ty Lee called out in horror as she watched Hakoda plummet to the ground below just as the last of the heard disappeared down the divide.

"Azula what did you do!" Ty Lee exclaimed.

"I stopped Hakoda from interfering." Azula said coolly.

"Yeah but you weren't suppose to kill him!" Mai shouted at her. "What's master Ozai gonna say?"

"He'll probably reward me for finish off that water tribe scum. Besides I'm sure father would've done away with him anyway once Iroh and Zuko are out of the picture." Azula smiled. "Now come on, let's go see if the herd did its job."

Mai looked oddly at Azula but nevertheless followed after her. Ty lee hesitated, looking over the edge where Hakoda disappeared before reluctantly following after them.

xXx

"You hear that Zuzu?" Azula called out. "If you ever come back, we'll kill you!"

After having chased Zuko beyond the divide and losing him in the desert, the girls decided to retreat and join back up with Ozai.

"So what now?" Mai asked. "What do we tell master Ozai when he asks where Zuko is?"

"Simple." Azula said as she pulled more thorns out of her clothes. "We'll tell him we chased the brat over to the caverns. Ty Lee paralyzed him with her jabs, you stabbed him with your knives and I shot him through with my lightning, causing him to fall backwards hundreds of feet into the bottomless cavern where he'll never be found."

"But I thought you haven't perfected your lightning yet?" Mai asked.

"Father doesn't need to know that. And if either of you tell him I'll use you both as target practice!" Azula said sternly.

"Alright, alright, relax." Mai said, sighing in annoyance.

As they made their way down the divide, the girls came upon Hakoda's body which lay face down on the ground.

"Father will probably be wanting Hakoda'a body for when the soldiers arrive." Azula said, looking down at him. "Mai, Ty lee, grab his arms and start dragging."

"Ew, I'm not touching a dead body." Mai said in disgust. "Bad enough you make me move those corpses back in the graveyard."

"I can do it by myself Azula." Ty lee piped up. "Why don't you and Mai go meet up with Master Ozai?"

"Very well." Azula nodded. "But be quick about it."

The two girls then continued down the divide as Ty Lee knelt beside Hakoda. Flipping him onto his back, Ty Lee looked upon Hakoda's bruised and shattered body and frowned sadly. She never meant for this to happen to him and felt a large amount of guilt overcome her. True she hadn't felt as bad when she went along with Ozai's plan of eliminating Iroh and Zuko, but that was because Ozai promised a better future for her and the others. But upon seeing the deceased body of Iroh, she realized the seriousness of what they had done and she didn't like it one bit.

Ty Lee then reached down to brush the hair out of Hakoda's eyes. Now thanks to her, the Water Tribe would be without its leader, and the two water tribe siblings without their father.

Then without warning, Hakoda let out a loud gasp, causing Ty lee to jump back in shock.

"Chief Hakoda!" Ty lee shouted. "You're...you're alive!"

The chief continued to gasp for air and started shaking all over. He tried moving but let out more painful gasps and fell back to the ground.

"Stop you're hurt!" Ty lee said as she kept him lying down. "Don't move. Maybe I can find help."

Ty Lee looked toward the divide but realized Azula and Mai would be too far down by now to hear her. They probably wouldn't have bothered to help anyway.

Hakoda's breathing then got harder as the color in his face becoming paler by the minute. He then looked faintly up at Ty lee, who could only look helplessly back.

"You..." Hakoda mumbled as he continued to breathe heavily.

"Yes me." Ty lee nodded. "I'm Ty Lee. You saved me from falling off the cliff remember?"

Hakoda continued to stare blankly at her as he tried to talk again. "Iroh...Zuko..."

Ty Lee paused. She didn't want to tell him the truth but she didn't want to lie either. "They're...around."

Hakoda shut his eyes painfully before taking another breath "Sok...Sokka...where's Sokka..."

"Sokka?" Ty Lee asked. "Oh your son. He's okay I think. Unconscious but okay."

Hakoda gasped as pain shot through his entire body. Looking over him, Ty Lee realized that all of his limbs, except for his right arm, were broken. He probably had some cracked ribs as well as internal bleeding, which meant he didn't have much time left. The sight of the suffering chief made Ty lee emotional and she struggled not to cry.

"Chief Hakoda, I'm so sorry." Ty lee said, tears forming in her eyes. "I never meant for this to happen. You saved my life and there's nothing I can do to save yours."

Hakoda lifted up his hand and placed it on hers much to her surprise. He took a few deep breathes before saying. "Sokka...protect...Sokka..."

Ty Lee looked at the chief in surprise. "Protect Sokka? But I...I..."

"Please...promise...Sokka..." Hakoda said looking at her with his icy blue eyes. He then let out a raspy cough.

She couldn't believe her ears. He wanted her to look after his son? Even after all she had done? Ty Lee wanted to object, but seeing the pleading look in Hakoda's eyes, she didn't have the heart to deny the dying mans last request.

Ty Lee placed both her hands over Hakoda's and squeezed tightly. "Okay then, I promise. I promise that I will protect Sokka the best that I can."

Seeing the sincere look in her eyes, a small content smile appeared on Hakoda's face. As he laid his head down, Ty Lee felt his hand loosened its grip around hers and fall limply to the ground. Ty lee looked down upon him in a stunned silence as his breathing ceased and Hakoda quietly passed away. Tears rolling down her cheeks, Ty lee sobbed openly into her hands.

xXx

Ty Lee shook her head as the memories from that day faded away. Seeing Sokka looking oddly at her, she simply smiled.

"Let's just say I have a weakness for guys with blue eyes."

Sokka blushed slightly. "Guess that makes me one lucky guy. Just wish Katara had someone like you to watch out for her..."

Ty Lee then remembered Azula's plan and spoke to Sokka seriously. "So is it true? That Katara's marrying Fire Lord Ozai? I heard it from one of the maids but I didn't want to say anything just in case."

"I'm afraid its true." Sokka said sadly. "But trust me when I say it's not willingly."

Ty lee looked nervously away. "Azula's not gonna like this..."

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked. Ty Lee then told him of Azula's plan to kill him and Katara and to stage a surprise attack on the Water Tribe.

"That rotten evil psychopath!" Sokka shouted in outrage.

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Ty Lee said, listening carefully for signs of the guards.

"I can't help it! It's bad enough that there's one crazy fire bender trying to kill me and take over my tribe, but now two?"

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Ty Lee asked.

Sokka sighed. "It's Ozai's deal with Katara. He said if she doesn't marry him by the end of the week, he's gonna wage war on our tribe and...have me executed."

Ty Lees eyes widened in horror. "Executed! No, he can't do that!"

"Well apparently he can." Sokka replied. "Ty Lee, I know it's asking a lot but I need your help."

"Don't worry Sokka, I'll find a way to get you out of here." Ty Lee assured him.

"No, not me." Sokka shook his head. "Katara. I need you to get her out of here. Try to sneak her out of the palace and out of the Fire Nation if possible."

Ty Lee looked at Sokka in surprise. "Sneak Katara out? But...but I can't do that! She's being heavily guarded! And besides you're the one facing execution. I need to bust you out first!"

"Ty Lee listen to me!" Sokka said, getting on his knees to face her, the heavy chains scraping across the floor. "You need to get her out of here before Azula goes through with her plan and we all end up dead."

"I won't leave you!" Ty Lee said determinedly.

"Listen, I would rather die than let Katara be married to that fire breathing monster or fall victim to that crazy daughter of his. If you can get her out of the palace, she'll be safe and can alert the Water Tribe so they can defend themselves properly before Ozai attacks. It's their only chance."

"But he'll kill you when he finds out she escaped!" Ty Lee said.

"I told you I don't care!' Sokka insisted. "Now please, promise me you'll find a way to get Katara out of the palace. Promise me!"

Ty Lee looked uncertainly at Sokka. Seeing the pleading and desperation in his icy blue eyes, she suddenly felt like she was back in the divide with Hakoda.

Unsure how it would all play out, Ty lee slipped her fingers through the bars and laid them over Sokka's. "Ok then. I promise I'll find a way to get Katara out of the palace."

Hearing those words, Sokka relaxed and smiled. "Thank you. I knew I could count on you."

Ty lee blushed, even more so since she and Sokka were kneeling so close to each other and were still holding hands. Hawky then looked up from the bowl of rice he was eating and squawked as he heard footsteps approach.

"Is everything alright in there Miss Ty Lee?" asked a guard as he approached the cell. Ty lee quickly withdrew from Sokka and grabbed the dinner tray, motioning Hawky to get back underneath. Once hidden, she grabbed Sokka's arm and twisted it slightly causing Sokka to let out a cry of pain.

"That'll teach you to call me names you...you scruffy looking...nerfhearder!" she yelled at him, grabbing the dinner tray as Sokka rubbed his arm which has a set of Indian burns on it.

"I'm ready to be let out now." She said to the guards. "This young hooligan will think twice before calling me names."

Satisfied, the guards unlocked the door and escorted Ty Lee out of the cell. Ty Lee shot Sokka an apologetic look and continued out of the dungeon, wondering just how she was going to fulfill her promise of setting the two siblings free.

xXxXx


	15. Shadowlands

Chapter 15: Shadowlands

It was midday and Katara sat alone on her bed, arms folded around her knees as she stared silently at the wall. Ever since her confrontation with Ozai, Katara had been confined to her room with soldiers stationed at her door at all times. She was always tied up before being given food or water and whenever she tried fighting back, she'd be severely punished by Azula, who would withhold her food and water for days and even beat her, usually for her own sick amusement.

Katara sighed, unable to believe how bad her situation became in the last few weeks. Before she was merely a prisoner, forced to live under the cruel Fire Lord. Now she had to face the terrible choice of either marrying the tyrant and letting him take over her tribe, or refusing and letting everyone she cared about, including her brother, be destroyed. Things just seemed to get worse and worse.

But as bad as things were for her, she knew others were suffering more. Standing up, Katara went over to her window where a bleak sight met her eyes. The once beautiful and colorful landscape of the Fire Nation was now a withered grey wasteland. Everything from the skies to the soil to the towns themselves were a dark dingy grey and brown. It seemed like an eternity since she'd seen blue skies or green grass or even a flock of birds flying through the air.

She watched the tiny villagers in the distance as they roamed the streets, looking sickly and skinny as they searched around for something to eat. It broke her heart to see them suffering so and she wished desperately that she could help.

_Shadowland  
__The leaves have fallen  
This shadowed land  
This was our home  
The river's dry  
The ground has broken…_

As she tore her eyes away from the depressing scene, Katara went over to her closet and pulled up a loose floorboard where she kept a small box hidden. She opened it to reveal several personal items, including her mothers necklace, her water pouch and a few small paintings.

One of the paintings Katara held up was of her and her family back at the South Pole, back when she was a baby and both her parents were alive. She had other pictures similar to it except for one, which was a picture of her and Zuko.

Katara frowned. It was strange to see herself smile in the pictures...seemed almost like a lifetime ago when she actually felt happy.

Setting them down, Katara held up her water pouch, which sparkled as brightly as the day she got it. Up until the confrontation, Katara had been secretly practicing her waterbending in her room. It was really hard at first, but after taking some scrolls from library, Katara managed to master all the basic forms and even invented a few of her own moves. Holding it to her ear, Katara shook it and was surprised to hear a small amount of liquid slosh around, possibly left over from last time she used it.

Suddenly she heard footsteps approaching and quickly hid everything away. The doorknob turned and in walked Azula, looking self-important as always.

"On your feet peasant." she commanded. "It's time for your rations."

As usual, two sets of guards came in and bound her hands and feet together so she couldn't bend. Azula then shoved a plate of bread and cheese in front of her. "Eat."

Glaring up at her, Katara began to eat her food carefully as she had little room to adjust her arms. As she ate, Azula looked upon her in a calculating manner.

"You know my father is getting married next week." Azula said.

Katara paused slightly but said nothing and continued to eat. Azula continued.

"Rumor is that he's marrying a princess from somewhere around here. Some young and beautiful bender..."

Katara then realized what she was getting at but instead of being intimidated, she merely smirked at her. "Congratulations. Now you'll finally have someone to teach you how to be a lady."

Azula's eyes flared and she kicked the plate of food away before baring down on Katara. "I know its you, you little tramp! And if you think for a second I'll let you take my crown away from me-"

"I am not taking anything!" Katara snapped back at her. "Your 'crown' can rot at the bottom of the sea along with you and your monster of a father!"

Azula and Katara stared at each other for a moment. Azula then went over to the guard who was holding the water canteen and grabbed it. She then walked over to Katara's window, opened it, and uncorked the canteen before dumping out the entire contents.

"I think you could stand to skip a few meals now." she said, shaking the canteen dry. "All that water seems to be going to your hips."

Azula then marched toward the door with the other guards, who grabbed the plate and canteen before leaving. Azula then turned to Katara, who stood rooted to the spot in anger.

"Enjoy your solitude for now." Azula said. "Come that wedding date, you'll be joining your brother and your entire tribe in a landfill."

Azula then slammed the door forcefully, causing the room to shake. Katara growled and ran at the door, banging it with her fists and yelling loud obscenities at it. After five minutes, Katara collapsed to the ground in frustration and anger.

After taking a few minutes to calm down, Katara decided she could put it off no longer. Despite the risks, the time had some for her to try once again free her brother and escape from the Fire Nation. She wasn't sure how exactly, but it was better then being forced into marriage with Ozai.

_So I must go  
Now I must go  
And where the journey may lead me  
Let your prayers be my guide  
I cannot stay here, my family  
But I'll remember my pride_

Packing up her belongings into a single sack, Katara headed towards the window and looked over the side wall which was still wet with water. Holding out her hand, she concentrated hard and managed to get some water into her palm which she then added into her pouch. Once that was down, she faced the door and readied herself for the impending fight. She was about to turn the knob when the door opened on its own, revealing the Kyoshi Warriors.

"Suki?" Katara said in surprise.

"Hello Katara," said the warriors leader Suki. "Sorry to intrude but the Fire Lord wishes to speak with you."

Thinking it might be a trap, Katara shook her head. "Well you can tell him that I'm too busy to see him right now."

"We insist that you come with us." Suki continued looking back nervously. "You may bring your things with you if you wish."

"I told you already, I'm not going." Katara said taking a step back.

A few of the girls behind Suki looked around anxiously wondering what to do. Suki took a deep breath. "If you won't come willingly, then we'll have to make you."

The Kyoshi warriors nodded then stepped forward and grabbed Katara's arms, forcing her out of the room.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" she yelled as they dragged her past the set of guards who watched curiously.

"Let me go right now!" Katara shouted squirming under their grips. "You can't-"

"Shh!" Suki whispered fiercely. "We're helping you."

Katara paused, taken back by the comment, allowing one of the warriors to tie a gag over her mouth.

"And stay quiet!" Suki said loudly so the guards would hear. "We're taking you to Ozai and that's that!"

Seeing the quick wink and nod, Katara stopped struggling and allowed the warriors to escort her down the hall.

xXx

Down in the dungeon, Sokka was busy doing sit ups in his cell to pass the time. As he finished his one hundredth sit up, he heard the dungeon door open. A small set of footsteps ran down the stairs and approached his cell.

"Hold it! What business do you have here?" one of the guards asked the stranger.

"I'm here to bring the boy to the Fire Lord." said a strangely familiar voice. Sokka sat up and attempted to get a look at the stranger but only managed to see the bottom of a green dress.

"Since when does the Fire Lord send a single Kyoshi Warrior to escort a high security prisoner to his throne room?" the other guard asked suspiciously.

"Oh but I have a scroll here stating his instructions." the Kyoshi warrior said as she reached into her pocket.

Suddenly, Sokka heard a few faint thuds and saw one of the guards fall limply to the floor. The other guard yelled out and attempted to ambush her but barely got a punch in before he too fell to the ground. Sokka stood up and watched as a Kyoshi warrior with long braided hair entered with a set of keys.

"Come on! We need to get out of here before more guards come!" the Kyoshi warrior said urgently as she opened the door to Sokka's cell.

"Wait, what's going on?" Sokka asked as the girl knelt down and began unlocking the shackles from his legs.

"I'll explain later. We need to go." The Kyoshi warrior then unlocked the cuffs from his wrists and the two of them ran past the paralyzed guards and out of the dungeon.

xXx

After making sure the coast was clear, the warriors escorted Katara past the Fire Lords chambers and down a different hallway towards the opposite end of the palace.

Following a few twists and turns, they emerged outside into the gardens which were brown and withered. The warriors then escorted Katara into a small green house whose windows were tinted and cracked with dust. Walking past the dead plant life, they entered the back room where the tools were kept and sat Katara into a small chair.

Untying the gag from around her mouth, Katara let out a gasp for air as she looked around at the warriors. "Finally! Okay, now what is going on here? Why did you all kidnap me?"

"This isn't a kidnapping."

A hooded figure then appeared from the shadows and approached her, speaking in a soft voice. "This is a rescue mission. Forgive us for the restraints you but we couldn't have you making a scene."

"Rescue mission?" Katara asked. "Who are you?"

The figure then lowered her hood, allowing her long black hair to flow freely. "Don't worry. You're in good hands now."

Katara's eyes widened in shock "Ursa! But I thought you were in prison! Ozai said he sent you to penitentiary months ago!"

"Oh no. I've been confined to my room the same as you were Katara. I was forbidden from having any contact with you or Sokka in case either of you tried to escape again." Ursa explained. "I had almost given up hope of seeing you again when my sources informed me about your forced engagement with Ozai. I also heard about the plot against your life by Azula. Naturally I couldn't stand by and allow that to happen, so I enlisted the help of the Kyoshi Warriors and together we came up with a plan to free both you and Sokka from the palace."

"Really? That's amazing!" Katara exclaimed. "But how are we going to get past the guards and blockade?"

"Trust me, we found a way. But getting there will be tricky so you best prepare yourself." Ursa then pulled a canteen from within her robes and handed it to Katara. Getting out her old waterpouch, Katara bended the water into it till it almost full.

Just then two young Kyoshi warriors entered through the door. "We checked the courtyard Lady Ursa. There's a few guards on patrol but we should be able to take them out easily enough."

"Alright then, let's move quickly." Ursa said putting her hood back on.

"Wait! What about Sokka?" Katara asked.

"Don't worry. We sent a special warrior down to rescue him and meet us at the rendezvous point." Ursa assured her.

"Special warrior?" Katara asked. "Who?"

xXx

"Slow down will you!" Sokka yelled, squirming under the Kyoshi warrior's grip as she dragged him behind her. "You're gonna wrench my arm out of my socket!"

The girl did not slow down however and continued to drag Sokka through the halls. As they turned down another hallway, the girl spotted a group of guards coming her way and pulled Sokka down behind a large tapestry.

"Okay as soon they're gone, we're gonna head down the south hallway toward the back entrance-"

"Stop!" Sokka said yanking his hand free of hers. "I'm not going anywhere till you tell me who you are and where we're going!"

"I'm trying to get you out of here. And you should know who I am!" the girl said looking at him intently.

Sokka stared blankly. "Suki?"

The girl slapped her forehead. "No Sokka it's me!"

Finally recognizing her voice as well her bright grey eyes, Sokka's jaw dropped. "Ty lee! But you're... that's... I told you to free Katara!"

"She is being freed." Ty Lee explained. "And if you do what I say you'll be free as well."

"Did you hear something?"

Sokka and Ty Lee froze as they heard a guard walking towards them. "Thought I heard a voice over here."

"I think it came from those doors." Said another guard as he pointed across the hall. Sokka and Ty Lee waited with baited breath as the guards walked past them and into the next room.

Ty Lee then peaked out from behind the tapestry and sighed in relief. "Ok the coast is clear. Now if you want to see your sister again, you will follow me without complaint. Understand?"

Sokka sighed. "Fine. But if we're going to escape, we need to free Hawky too."

"Sokka we can't-" Ty Lee began.

"I'm not leaving without him!" Sokka insisted. "Those Fire Nation soldiers will make him into bird stew once they realize I'm gone!"

Seeing that he wouldn't budge on the matter, Ty Lee nodded and after checking the halls, lead Sokka toward the messenger tower.

xXx

"Are you out of your mind? We can't trust her! We have to go and rescue him!" Katara insisted.

"We can't Katara." Ursa shook her head. "The guards already sense something's amiss. If we go back now, we'll all be captured before we even reach the courtyard."

"But how do we know Ty lee hasn't tipped them off already? What if she brought Sokka to Azula and she's torturing him right now?"

"She hasn't." Ursa stated.

"How do you know?" Katara asked.

"Cause Ty Lee was the one who tipped us off about Azula's plan."

Katara looked at Ursa in a stunned silence as she continued. "I know I was surprised too. But I believe her intentions are sincere and that she will bring Sokka to meet us as promised."

"But...but..." Katara said at a loss for words.

"Have faith in my judgment Katara. That's all we can really do right now." Ursa said. "Now come on, we're wasting time."

Without further argument, Katara, Ursa and the Kyoshi Warriors made their way over to the courtyard where four guards were patrolling the area. Two of the Kyoshi Warriors sneaked forward and managed to grab two of the guards, knocking them out. Once they were out of the way, the warriors stationed themselves at all the escape routes before ganging up on the other two, who reached the middle of the courtyard.

"Hey what the-?" the guard shouted before the warriors grabbed his arms, twisted them behind his back and gagging him. The other reacted with a fire blast but was slammed in the back of the head by two of the warriors fans, rendering him unconscious.

As the other guard struggled to break free, one of the warriors took his ignited hand and pressed it onto the ground where a circular pattern was. There was a loud hiss sound and the secret stairway to the dragon bone catacombs opened up.

Making sure the other guards were tied up, the group made their way down the steps and toward the end of the hallway where the large painting of Iroh was.

"Why are we going into the DragonBone Catacombs?" Katara asked following behind Ursa.

"There's a secret tunnel within Iroh's old treasure room that leads to a lake by the Gates of Azulon." Ursa explained. "At the same place, there's a prisoner ship waiting for us that has secretly been smuggling people out of the country. It'll take you and Sokka safely over to the Earth Kingdom where you can find transport down the southern region."

The Kyoshi warriors then dragged the struggling guard forward and pressed his hand onto the secret switch of the painting, allowing it to move sideways revealing the secret room.

Katara stepped in and was amazed to see everything as she remembered it, only with a slight layer of dust and cobwebs.

"Leave him." Ursa commanded as the warriors tossed the guard into the hallway before closing the entrance behind them. "Come Katara. The tunnel's just behind this statue."

"Just a sec." Katara said as she went over to the water tribe collection. There she noticed the scrolls which were still intact and knowing she wouldn't have another opportunity, stuffed them into her bag before rejoining Ursa.

Together she and the Kyoshi warriors were able to push aside a large LionTurtle statue to reveal a small tunnel. With torches lit, they started their long trek toward the lake.

xXx

Sokka and Ty Lee manage to make their way to the northern tower without much interference from the guards. There they entered inside a stain covered stone room where dozens of messenger hawks flew around. In the corner was Hawky who was locked inside a cage with a padlock.

"Hawky!" Sokka exclaimed as he ran to his bird. Hawky squawked and beat his wings in excitement.

"Don't worry buddy, I'm gonna get ya out of here." Sokka then looks around and grabbed an old perch which he used to try prying open the door, only for it to snap like a twig.

"Let me try." Ty Lee then used her hair pin on the padlock, which clicked open allowing Hawky to finally fly free.

"Thank goodness your okay." Sokka said hugging the bird. "Alright let's get going."

Ty Lee nodded but as they headed toward the door, a guard walked in and spotted them.

"Intruders!" he shouted as he launched a fire ball in their direction. They managed to duck and Ty lee cart wheeled over where she managed to take out the guard with a few quick jabs. The guard fell to the ground with a thud and Sokka quickly closed the door before anyone else could come in.

"Do you think anyone heard?" Sokka asked. Just then a horn blared and a loud commotion was heard outside the window. Sokka and Ty Lee looked out the window where a group of guards had gathered near a small bridge. They heard some faint shouts about unconscious guards and someone gone missing.

"This just became a lot more complicated." Ty lee said nervously as she pointed toward the guards on the bridge. "That's the road we need to escape. It leads to the beach where a ship is waiting to take us to the Earth Kingdom."

"But how are we gonna get past them?" Sokka asked. "There must be at least a dozen guards."

"I...haven't quiet thought that out yet..." Ty Lee admitted bashfully. "Didn't realize there'd be so many of them..."

"Didn't you have any other plan for escaping besides poking the guards to death?" Sokka asked in annoyance.

"Hey! I got you this far didn't I?" Ty lee retorted indignantly. "Just...let me think for a minute!"

As they tried brainstorming a way out, Sokka heard the guard moan loudly as he tried getting up. Since his limbs still didn't work, he instantly fell back to the ground, causing his helmet to pop off and roll across the floor. As it stopped against his foot, Sokka got an idea. "I think I may have found a way to get past."

xXx

After having followed the tunnel for nearly a mile, Katara was relieved to finally see traces of daylight at the end coming from above.

"Alright then, this is the last stop." Ursa stated. "The door above can only be opened by a fire bender so we'll be locked out once its closed. So if anyone's having second thoughts..."

"Not at all your majesty." Suki said shaking her head, along with the other Kyoshi Warriors. Katara shook her head as well, preparing herself to finally exit the dark tunnel.

"Here Katara. Put this on over your dress." Ursa instructed, handing her a brown rag that resembled a potato sack.

Katara obeyed and pulled it over herself, the outfit just barely covering her blue dress. Ursa then handed her a second rag which Katara wrapped around head and shoulders to cover her hair.

"Okay then." Ursa nodded. "Let's go."

Using a stick, the Kyoshi warriors propped up a heavy stone door that was buried beneath a sand dune and made their way to the outside. Once everyone was out of the secret tunnel, they all ducked behind a rock wall that has been built along the lakes edge. Peering over, they saw boats lining the water with groups of soldiers patrolling the area.

"Where do we go now?" Katara asked.

"Over there by the pier." Ursa said pointing to the far right, where a small Fire Nation ship sat in the bay with a group of people waiting it front of it, all of them in shackles and wearing similar colored rags.

"That ship is a carrier used to transport prisoners to the boiling rock. One of the rebel groups managed to capture one and have instead been using it to smuggle citizens out of the Fire Nation. There are still guards all around so you'll have to be careful when sneaking into the crowd."

Katara looked around nervously. "Where's Sokka? Isn't he meeting us here?"

"I told Ty Lee to put him in with the prisoners as soon as they get here. You'll have less chance of being recognized if your brought on board separately."

Katara smiled at the former queen. "Thank you Ursa. You and the Kyoshi warriors risked so much to free me. But what will become of all of you?"

"We shall manage Katara." Ursa said. "Ozai has messed up a great deal here and its my job as former queen to help the citizens in taking back our homeland. It is up to you to go forth and warn your people."

Katara looked worried though. "I promise I'll send for help as soon as I get there. Together we'll free the Fire Nation once and for all!"

Ursa smiled and put her hands on Katara's shoulders. "I look forward to it."

_And where the journey may lead you  
Let this prayer be your guide  
Though it may take you so far away  
Always remember your pride_

"Return to your people. And be careful." Ursa instructed. Katara looked affectionately up at Ursa and hugged her tight. The other warriors hugged Katara as well and wished her luck on her journey.

Making sure her bag was tucked safely under her robes, Katara followed two of the warriors toward the ship.

xXx

Down by the bridge, the soldiers were on high alert and watching for any possible escapees. Just then they spotted a solider coming toward them escorting a woman in a green dress.

"Halt. Where do you think you're going?" the lead guard commanded.

"I have a suspect here." said the guard as he yanked Ty lee by bound wrists. "Captain Azula commanded me to bring her to the holding prison for questioning."

"Why would she have you take her to the outside prison rather then the dungeon?" the guard questioned suspiciously.

"Good point. I guess I'll just go back to Azula and tell her that a certain someone prevented me from carrying out her orders by questioning her leadership." pointed out the guard as he made to turn back around.

"Wait!" The guard said suddenly becoming nervous. "I'm not questioning anything. Just go on ahead."

"Thank you good sir." the solider said as he pulled Ty lee along and the two crossed over the bridge.

Inside the armor, Sokka was sweating up a storm, surprised that his trick really worked. However, he couldn't stop twitching as he had stuffed Hawky inside his breast plate and the bird was struggling for air inside the hot metal.

"Hawky knock it off!" Sokka mumbled to his chest as the bird continued to claw against his chest, causing him to flinch.

"Is everything okay solider?" the guard called back, noticing as Sokka stumbled forward holding his chest.

"Get up!" Ty lee muttered urgently as Sokka quickly straightened up and gave a thumbs up.

"Fine...just fine my good sir." Sokka responded, gritting his teeth as he banged on his chest to get the bird to stop. This just made Hawky go crazier as he pecked Sokka really hard on his belly button.

"OUCH!" yelled Sokka as he stumbled forward, causing his helmet to fall off and roll across the ground. The Guards heard the noise and turned to see Sokka hastily picking up his helmet.

"The water tribe boy!" shouted a guard as he blew on his horn. "Don't let them escape!" The other guards rushed forward with their spears and fists raised.

"Run!" Ty lee yelled as the two turned tail and ran toward the beach as fast as they could.

xXx

Once close to the beach, the Kyoshi warriors cuffed Katara's hands together and escorted her toward the prison ship. They were intercepted by several groups of soldiers but none stopped them from proceeding forward as they assumed Katara was just another prisoner. Once they had reached the crowd of frightened brown clothed people, the warriors attached her cuffs to a chain connecting the other prisoners together just as the big burly warden appeared.

"Who's this?" the warden asked looking down at Katara.

"New prisoner." Suki stated. " Just condemned by Ozai himself for stealing food. He demanded she be locked up immediately."

The warden looked upon Katara, who tried avoiding his eyes as much as possible.

"Very well. Throw her in with the others."

They nodded and finished connecting her cuffs to the chain. As Suki leaned over to tighten them, she quickly whispered in Katara's ear, "Your name is Quin-Li".

The warriors then walked away as the warden came up with a scroll and quill in hand. "Name?"

Katara paused for a moment, then uttered quietly. "Quin-Li."

The warden began writing it down when he paused and looked oddly at Katara. "Don't I know you from somewhere?"

Katara's face flushed but she tried to remain composed. "No sir."

The warden looked over Katara inquisitively. "You seem to be wearing far too much blue clothing for these parts. And you seem a little too young to be expecting." he said gesturing to the bulge around Katara's middle which was actually her knap sack.

"Where did this prisoner come from? Who actually ordered the imprisonment?" the warden asked the Warriors, who stood nervously nearby.

As they tried thinking of a response, Katara heard a noise behind her and turned to see fire shooting out in the distance. Immediately it was followed by shouts and two figures emerged over the sand dunes. One was dressed in a Fire Nation uniform, the other in a Kyoshi Warrior dress.

"Stop them!" the pursing guards called out to the other soldiers. "They're trying to escape!"

Immediately the other soldiers responded and began running up the beach toward them.

"It must be the water tribe siblings!" the warden called out in surprise. "They're trying to find a way to escape out to sea. Well they're not getting on my ship! All prisoners are to turn around and proceed back toward shore-OOF!"

Taking the opportunity, Suki punched the warden in the stomach and knocked him into the water.

"Everyone, the time has come for freedom!" Suki cried out to the other prisoners as she whipped out her fans and slashed them down on the chains, breaking them in two.

From the water, the warden surfaced, spat out water and yelled "Guards! Stop them!"

The soldiers on shore, seeing the warriors using their fans to break the chains binding the prisoners, immediately stormed the docks and began advancing toward Suki, who braced herself for combat.

"Get on board the ship now!" Suki called out as she parried a solider who came at her with a fire blast.

Once Katara was free from her cuffs, she ran along with prisoners toward the ship. They were immediately stopped by a solider who ran forward with his fists ablaze.

"Freeze peasants!" he ordered as he grabbed a young woman by her arm, burning her sleeve.

"No! You freeze!" Katara yelled, summoning up a stream of water and blasting it at the guard, who froze solid to the spot.

Katara then wrench the young woman's arm free of the guards frozen hand and yelled to the others "On board! Quickly!" They immediately obeyed and piled onto the ship as Katara stood ready for a fight.

Down on the beach, Sokka and Ty lee were racing toward the docks but kept getting stopped by the soldiers who ambushed them at every turn. Sokka took out the sword from his belt and was parrying them back to the best of his ability. Ty lee was knocking them down with her unique martial arts style but was starting to succumb to the large numbers.

One of the guards knocked Sokka onto his back and attempted to fire bend straight into his chest. However, the sheer force of the fall caused Sokka chest plate to pop off, allowing Hawky to fly free and attack the guard standing overhead.

"AHH! MY EYES!" The guard screamed as the bird attacked his face.

Sokka used the distraction to run toward the docks. He was immediately intercepted by more guards but Ty Lee cart wheeled forth and plowed right into them with one of their spears.

"Sokka get to the ship now!" Ty lee called to him as she parrying back a guard with the spear.

"I can't just leave you!" Sokka yelled back.

"Go!" Ty lee said, kicking the guard in the chest before spinning the spear around to slam into another guards helmet.

Sokka hesitated but obeyed and ran toward the ship, followed closely by Hawky.

Once everyone was safely onboard, Katara turned to board the ship but was grabbed by the warden who popped out of the water and twisted her arm behind her back.

"Your not going anywhere princess." he said to her as the guards gathered around to subdue her.

Katara was about to become overwhelmed when she saw flashes of green and the Kyoshi warriors ambushed the soldiers. Ursa even joined in and whacked the warden away with a wooden staff.

"Katara get on board now!" Ursa commanded. "The ships about to leave."

"But Sokka-" Katara began.

"Katara!"

Sokka then emerged into sight and waved at Katara. "Get on. I'll be right with you!"

Before she could respond, Katara was grabbed by another villager who brought her on board as the ship slowly inched forward.

As Sokka ran past the attacking soldiers and closed in upon the ramp, one of the soldiers tripped him causing him to stumble onto the hard wood. Another then grabbed him by the arm and pinned it behind his back, forcing him upwards.

"I got the water tribe boy!" he declared loudly to the others. His moment was short lived however as Ty lee came out of nowhere and did a flying kick to the back of the guys head, causing him to fall into the water.

Sokka turned to go back to the ship but spotted a bunch of soldiers as they tried grabbing onto the anchor of the ship in an attempt to beach it. Sokka ran forward and shoved them all into the water along with himself.

As Katara stopped to catch her breath and turned to look for Sokka, she felt her blood run cold as she saw no trace of him.

"Sokka?" Katara called. She looked around the boat before looking back towards the dock where the soldiers and Kyoshi warriors continued to fight. She then spotted Sokka as he waded onto the beach and began running back onto shore.

"Sokka!" Katara cried out as the boat began to move faster. She then tried to climb back onto the ledge to jump overboard but one of the prisoners held her back.

"Stop!" he said pulling her back. "You can't help them now."

"But...Sokka!" Katara said desperately as she looked back. On land, Sokka was making his way to Ty Lee who was fighting off three guards at once. Sokka took out his boomerang and whipped it at them, hitting two in the head.

"Hey metal heads!" Sokka called out. "Looking for someone?"

Having caught their attention, the soldiers focused on Sokka instead and chased him down the beach. Sokka ran as fast as could up the dunes higher and higher till he was running along a cliff side. He only stopped when he reached the edge and saw he had no where to go.

"This is it water prince. Surrender now!" yelled out a solider.

Sokka looked around. No matter how he looked at it, he was trapped. He looked off in the distance and saw the ship sailing away, relived that Katara had made it on board but wondering how he was to escape.

He then heard a squawk and saw Hawky fly overhead before descending towards him.

"I said surrender!" the guard repeated. "Get down now!"

Realizing the only option, Sokka smirked. "As you wish."

With that, Sokka leaped backwards as Hawky flew into his arms and the two plummeted down the edge of the cliff and into the water.

The soldiers rushed to the edge and looked down towards the water, seeing nothing except for the rocks and large ripples where Sokka had disappeared.

Back on the ship, Katara watched as the beach became smaller and smaller. She felt her eyes fill with tears as thoughts of Sokka, Ursa and the other warriors filled her head. What had become of Sokka? What would happen to the others if they were captured? All these horrible scenarios past through her head and she turned away, afraid to look back anymore.

"Your friends were very brave." said a young woman, putting her hand on Katara's shoulder. "Because of them, we are all free from that awful place."

Clenching her fist, Katara stood up and looked back with determination. It was up to her now to warn the Water Tribe about the Fire Nations plan. It was up to her now find help in aiding the poor citizens. The others had risked everything to get her out of the Fire Nation, and now it was time for her to do the same.

xXx

Azula arrived at the beach, steaming mad that the water tribe siblings had managed to escape their prisons, and even madder at the guards for letting escape.

"You blithering idiots!" she shouted at the soldiers. "All you had to do was guard two little water tribe brats and you couldn't even do that! I will see you all banished for this!"

"Please Captain!" a solider begged. "We did all we could. But the water tribe siblings had help breaking out. We have them in custody right now."

"Bring them forth!" Azula commanded as the guards brought forth Ursa and the Kyoshi Warriors in chains. Azula looked upon all of them with loathing and stopped in front of Ursa, who despite being chained up, stood tall and regal.

"So, thought you could go behind my fathers back did you?" Azula said getting up in Ursa's face. "You will be severely punished for your treachery. All of you!"

Ursa said nothing and continue to stare ahead defiantly. Azula narrowed her eyes and looked upon the rest of the Kyoshi warriors who also stared back defiantly. Only one warrior who stood at the end of the line seemed afraid as she kept her eyes adverted to the ground. Azula walked up to the girl as she closed her eyes, resisting the urge to look up.

"Afraid are we?" Azula asked. "You should be." The girl said nothing but kept her eyes tightly shut. Getting annoyed by the girls cowardice, Azula grabbed her face and jerked it upwards. "Look at me you little-"

Just then Azula froze as the girl stared up at her with strikingly familiar eyes. Holding her face tight, Azula wiped off her make-up with her other hand and gasped in shock.

"Ty lee!" Mai exclaimed.

Sure enough, the brown haired girl stood there, hers eyes wide and filled with fear.

Azula stood rooted to the spot, unable to believe that her trusted lieutenant had helped in the siblings escape. Ty lee looked up at Azula with pleading in her eyes. "Azula...I'm sorry."

Clenching her jaw in anger, Azula then slapped Ty lee hard across the face causing her to fall over. Mai gasped and rushed to her friend but was pushed back by the guards who grabbed Ty Lee by the arms and forced her back up.

"Get her out of my sight!" Azula shouted. "All of them! NOW!"

Quickly the guards escorted the girls toward the palace as Azula stormed toward another group of guards. "You will all start your search for the water tribe prince immediately! Leave no stone unturned and no area unsearched. Find him or its your heads!"

Mai watched nervously as Azula stormed off toward the palace, a look of murderous rage on her face. At that moment she wanted to escape along with the water tribe siblings, but knew doing so would bring her a similar fate. Regretfully, she followed after at a distance.

As the group passed over the bridge toward the palace, a figured peered out from under the shadows. Sokka watched sadly as the warriors and Ursa were lead away and turned to Hawky who was staying surprisingly.

"This situation just became more desperate Hawky." Sokka said. "If I'm to get them out of this alive, I'll need to go undercover."

Sokka then rolled up a note he wrote and tied it around Hawky's leg. "I know its been a while Hawky, but you need to fly this message down to the southern water tribe immediately. Remember to follow the south winds. And be careful."

Nodding, Hawky flapped his wings and took flight to the sky, heading in the southern direction.

Sokka waited till he disappeared over the horizon before putting on a Fire Nation helmet and set off toward the palace with the other guards.

XxXxX

XxXxX

Hey everyone efram here. Its been a good 8 months since I updated and I'm terribly sorry for not having done so and making false promises to some of you. This was a very hard chapter for me to write, mostly due to writers block, outside interests and my own laziness/procrastination. We all come to that point in our lives where we lose intrest in the thing we once loved and obsessed over and move onto something else. This isn't much different. I'm sorry to say that this will probably be my last Disney/Avatar fanfic for a good long time, as I plan on investing all my creative energies into other projects, namely my deviantart photography collection and youtube videos. That being said, I still fully plan on finishing Lion King and will update with new chapters when possible (I'm not saying when as I'm dreadful with meeting deadlines). I thank those of you who are still following me for all your love and encouragement over the years as its helped me a great deal with story telling. I hope you'll all still bear with me for this last story as I promise to make it as epic as possible. Till then, take care and keep an eye out for updates :)

Also if anyones interested, my deviantart account, youtube account and blog site will be listed on my profile page. Give um a look if you wanna see what I do with in my spare time ;)


End file.
